Her Protector
by this-love-is-sirius
Summary: Voldemort is looking to marry a young girl who possesses unknown powers, but Dumbledore has other plans, he sends Sirius Black to keep her from harm, but what happens when Sirius gets in way over his head, and falls in love. Rating might change. ON HIATUS
1. Talk

**A/N: I don't own a thing, but the plot, butplease review anyway.**

**Revised: July 26, 2006 (Brit-Picked)

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Chapter 1--Talk

_Oh brother I can't, I can't get through  
I've been trying hard to reach you 'cause I don't know what to do  
Oh brother I can't believe it's true  
I'm so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you  
Oh I wanna talk to you _

The Order sat around the chipped, rectangular kitchen table of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, looking at the various building outlines, and listening to the new information concerning Voldemort and his followers. "It is imperative that we gather as many people as we can to join our cause, now more than ever," Dumbledore said with a grim face. "It has come to my attention that Voldemort is looking to marry," he paused here as many of the Order members blanched.

"Who would be daft enough to marry that psycho?" Ron Weasley, now 19, cried shuddering. Ronald had turned into an attractive young man; his once lanky body had filled out and become muscular, due to the extensive Auror training he was going through with his best mate, Harry Potter.

"It has also come to my attention," Dumbledore continued as though there had been no interruption at all, "that Voldemort, is not only looking to marry, but he has set his sights on a very powerful witch, whom I believe is the subject of a prophecy given many ages ago, which states that this woman will determine the outcome of this war."

"Wait!" Harry Potter exclaimed. "What do you mean she will determine the outcome of the war? I thought I was the one who was supposed to face him in the Final Battle," he said, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. Harry had also grown into a handsome young man of 19. He had also developed from the strenuous Auror training.

"Harry, I think it will be best if I allow you all to hear the prophecy," he said pulling out a tiny object from his robes. With a swish of his wand the object enlarged. "This is my pensieve," Dumbledore said waving his wand around the contents before an old memory floated to the top. "Listen carefully, for I will only show you all this once." With that said, Dumbledore touched the memory with the tip of his wand. A raspy, strangled voice instantly filled the room and said:

_Born outside the realm of three_

_Hair and eyes made of dust_

_Ignorant of her true nature_

_Virtues unmatched and unseen_

_Guided by the Dog-Star_

_Matrimony extends him_

_Light and Darkness need her_

_In the wrong hands, control will leave her_

_Corruption will invade her_

_All will be destroyed_

_But if teamed with the Chosen Ones surrogate_

_The Light will prevail_

The room fell silent; all of the members were deep in thought but none more so, than Sirius Black. He sat silently, with a slight frown on his full lips, trying to determine just how involved he and this woman were meant to be.

Sirius Black, the former convict, who had returned from the veil three years ago, at the ripe age of 28, although he actually looked like he was in his early to mid twenties. Before the veil, Sirius looked thin, pale, and close to death. Now, however, he had gained his muscular body and his colour back. He was once again the man he had been before the death of his two friends and the twelve years spent in Azkaban, although the wisdom he had gained would never disappear, nor would the haunted look completely vanish from his eyes.

Dumbledore's calm voice pulled Sirius from his musings, "...her name is Jessica Huxtable. She's 20 and lives in New York City, New York," he said placing the pensieve back in the pocket of his robes. "We are to prevent this marriage from taking place by whatever means necessary because, if we don't, the consequences will be dire," Dumbledore said with bleakness in his voice.

"What exactly does the prophecy mean? I mean, it's obvious that Sirius is involved," said the intelligent voice of Hermione Granger, a 20-year old brilliant witch, whose hair had tamed remarkably over the years, although a small frizz could still be detected.

"I am afraid that I cannot disclose that information at the moment, but I will in due time," Dumbledore's noble voice sounded throughout the bleak kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

Harry sat motionless, his messy black hair, falling gracelessly into his eyes, pondering if this prophecy nullified the one given to him four years ago. "Yes, Harry," Dumbledore said pulling him from his contemplation, "you are still meant to face Voldemort in the Final Battle," his said, his voice grave.

"Then how is she meant to determine the fate of the Final Battle?" said the weary voice of Remus Lupin, whose body contained freshly healed scars from last week's full moon.

"Well, Remus, whomever Jessica chooses to support, will undoubtedly win, unless…no, now is not the time…" Dumbledore said, "So, I am sending one of you to watch after Jessica," he paused here looking around at everyone and finally pausing on Sirius, "and I have thought long and hard about this."

Sirius could feel Dumbledore's eyes burning into his head; he could feel the impending mission falling onto his shoulders.

"But how? How will we win this war if we have her on our side?" Tonks asked sharply, her neon purple hair glinting in the light, "I am unable to answer that question as well, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said sweeping his eyes back onto Sirius, which caused him to miss the shudder run through Tonks body at the mention of the 'name from hell', as she called it.

"It's Tonks," she muttered snippily but Dumbledore merely continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"I've considered who and what Jessica will allow into her apartment," Sirius heard Dumbledore say, "and I've also considered who and what the prophecy involves, and I've decided," he paused here pulling a file from his robes, "that Sirius will adequately protect Jessica."

A visible snort could be heard from Severus Snape, but other than that he remained silent.

Sirius lifted his eyes from the scorch mark on the table made by the Weasley twins five years ago, and met the blue ones of Dumbledore, which gleamed merrily.

"Okay, you may all go on your way," Dumbledore said ending the meeting. He then walked over towards Sirius and sat across from him at the kitchen table.

"Sirius, I hope you are well," he said placing the file on the table. Sirius merely nodded his head in acknowledgment, while his gaze fell onto the nude file. "This," Dumbledore said, "is Jessica's file. It contains all of her information, including her magical capabilities, her place of residence, her friends, and her family life. I need you to read through this file tonight and learn everything you can about her, because you leave for New York City in 48 hours. You will assume the role of Padfoot and you will need to gain more information about her through other means that will help you gain her trust when all is revealed," Dumbledore said placing a lemon drop into his mouth, he held one out to Sirius as an offering, which he declined with a wave of his hand.

"Are there any questions, for I really must be going?" Dumbledore asked sucking happily on the lemon drop.

"Yes," Sirius said in an authoritative, yet, respectful voice, "exactly how involved am I meant to be with this girl?" he demanded.

"Well," Dumbledore said sitting up in his chair, "you're meant to protect her at all costs, and by all means, become her friend, in your animagus form and human form, you will be the one she trust most, when all is explained to her, so be sure to gain her trust," he said earnestly.

Sirius wasn't exactly satisfied with this answer, but Dumbledore had already risen from his seat and made for the door.

"Oh, and Sirius," Dumbledore called back from the doorframe of the kitchen, "don't dismiss her, you will need each other immensely," he said with a wink and before Sirius could react he was already out of the front door.

Sirius apparated to his flat with the nude file in tow, he threw his worn, black leather jacket onto the couch and stretched his body. He felt the anxiety of the day flowing from his body as a loud groan escaped his lips.

He walked into the kitchen and threw the file onto the kitchen table, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he hopped onto the kitchen counter and allowed the cool contents to race through his body and drop his temperature.

He looked at the file on the table, not entirely wanting to take the mission, but knowing he had no choice. He jumped off the counter, leaving the empty bottle and sat in a chair at the table.

Opening the file, he scattered the contents onto the rectangular table. He flipped through notes about her family life, hospital records, best friends' names, high school transcripts, and any other information Dumbledore deemed necessary.

Sirius soon found that Jessica was adopted, was an adequate student and she was the personal assistant to a fashion magazine editor, a job which she just began six months ago. Sirius hadn't even met the girl yet and he was already beginning to get annoyed with her and her boring life.

'_Well, it won't be boring for much longer,'_ he thought grimly.

He finally grew tired of reading through her file and moved from the kitchen to his bedroom. Sirius stripped down to his boxers, revealing his handsomely chiseled chest and muscular arms and legs, and then he climbed into bed and drifted off into sleep.

_

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Song: "Talk" by Coldplay on the "X&Y" album_

A/N: I've decided to make the year 2004, because I know the fashion and fads better in this decade, than the last one.


	2. You're My Best Friend

**AN: I own nothing but the plot, and an unhealthy obsession with Sirius Black, but we won't get into that.**

**Please read and REVIEW! I know you get sick of me begging (so do I), but it must be done. SO REVIEW!**

**Revised: August 21, 2006 (Brit-picked).**

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

**Chapter 2--You're My Best Friend**

_Oh, you're the best friend__  
__That I ever had__  
__I've been with you such a long time__  
__You're my sunshine__  
__And I want you to know__  
__That my feelings are true__  
__I really love you__  
__(ooh) oh, you're my best friend_

Jessica sluggishly walked home from a long day of work with aching feet and an increasing headache. As she slowly strolled down the street, Jessica quietly took in her surroundings, noticing a large dog with shaggy black hair, which shivered slightly in the cool wind

Jessica stopped cautiously in front of the dog and reached inside of her bag. She pulled out the leftovers from her lunch and placed them in front of the bear-like dog. The dog sniffed the contents carefully and then began to eat, happily. This made Jessica smile tiredly before she then continued on her route home.

As Jessica was unlocking the door to her building she heard a soft panting coming from her left side. She looked down and saw the same large dog, sitting right by her leg. "I gave you all of the food I had," she said wearily to the dog.

The dog merely looked up at her expectantly. "What?" she asked and, as soon as the word was fully out of her mouth, the dog began to scratch softly on the door.

"No," Jessica said in a stern voice, "I can't have a dog," the dog simply cocked its head to the side and continued to look anxiously at her. "No."

The black canine slowly lay down on the ground, placed its head on its front paws and looked at her with big, sad, brown eyes. "Look," she said as the sternness in her voice wavered, "it's not that I don't like dogs or I wouldn't like to have one, it's just that I'm too busy," she said crouching down in front of him.

The dog gave a pitiful sound that was both a sigh and a moan. Jessica felt her resolution slipping away as the dog's eyes began to look even sadder. She bit the corner of her lower lip and closed her eyes hoping for strength, but when she looked back at the dog, he looked absolutely distressed. "Alright, alright," she sighed, "you can stay." The dog gave a happy bark, and rubbed his head against her legs.

Jessica walked into her apartment and threw her keys onto the table next to the door. "Come on in," she called to the dog standing at the threshold. He zestfully trotted inside and began sniffing around her apartment. "Don't you dare start marking territory," she said absently as she flipped through her mail, _bill, bill, junk, bill, junk,_ her mind thought tiredly.

"Are you hungry?" she asked deciding to deal with her financial woes later. "I don't have any dog food, but I have some lunch meats and things of that nature," her voice called from inside the refrigerator. Jessica pulled out some roast beef, turkey, and ham, and placed it on top of a plate, beside the plate she placed a bowl of cold water for the stray.

The dog happily trotted into the kitchen and immediately began lapping up the meal before him. "And after you're done, I'll give you a bath," she said as she walked from the kitchen and into her bedroom. Jessica removed the spiked leather heels from her very angry feet; she ran her hands over her feet and placed pressure on the sore spots. She quickly removed the form-fitting suit and changed into a pair of yoga shorts and a t-shirt.

Jessica padded down the hall bare foot, to see the dog lying lazily on the wooden floor of her living room. Sirius watched as Jessica walked over to an item he had never seen before; it was a medium sized speaker, with a small rectangular item attached to it (AN: iPod and speaker). He watched, curiosity coursing through him, as she pressed a button and music flowed instantly through the speaker.

_And the hardest part __  
__was letting go not taking part __  
__was the hardest part _

_and the strangest thing __  
__was waiting for that bell to ring __  
__It was the strangest start _

_I could feel it go down __  
__It is sweet I could taste in my mouth __  
__Silver lining the clouds __  
__Oh and I __  
__I wish that I could work it out _

He watched with amusement as she pranced towards the bathroom, singing the song and bobbing her head along. "Come on, sweetheart," he heard her call back to him from the bathroom. Sirius followed her into the bathroom, where he noticed water was already being run for his bath.

_This might not be so bad,_ he thought to himself as he took in her curvaceous body. He noticed that she wasn't fat, but she wasn't skinny, either, but she was toned. His mind wandered to the file he had received from Dumbledore, it said she weighed 127 pounds, it looked to him that she weighed a couple of pounds more than that, but it was all well proportioned on her body.

He had to admit that she was pretty, of course she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was definitely pretty.

Sirius stepped into the bathtub and allowed Jessica to begin washing the dirt from his body. He noticed the white t-shirt, which hugged her breast snuggly, but showed no cleavage, _I could change that,_ he thought naughtily to himself, _Might as well have some fun, whilst I'm here, _Sirius smirked mischievously to himself, as the plan formulated in his brain.

_  
And the hardest part  
was letting go not taking part  
you really broke my heart _

_And I tried to sing __  
__But I couldn't think of anything __  
__That was the hardest part _

_I could feel it go down __  
__You left the sweetest taste in my mouth __  
__Your silver lining the clouds __  
__Oh and I __  
__Oh and I __  
__I wonder what it's all about_

Jessica continued to sing along with the song and as she softly scrubbed the dirt from his body, she never noticed the devilish gleam in her dog's brown eyes, because she was too wrapped up in Chris Martin's entrancing voice.

Jessica stood from her place at the bathtub and grabbed a large, fluffy, blue towel from the rack, she began rubbing the excess water off of Sirius, before he could wring it off himself, but Sirius could not be deterred so easily from his plan. He quickly jumped from the tub and immediately shook his body free of the water clinging to his shaggy black hair.

Jessica, surprised, dropped the towel from her hands (which was not too bright of an idea), and moved her hands in front of her face, unsuccessfully shielding her body from the multiple water droplets. Once Sirius had stopped shaking his body free of water, he turned his head to look at her, he was met with a clingy see-through t-shirt, he smiled roguishly to himself because of this, and a pissed looking Jessica.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically as she resumed her previous action of drying him. When Jessica finished drying Sirius, she ushered him out, before closing the door, and taking a short shower. The hot water, and calming lyrics, helped to pacify her ill-tempered mood, from both her day at work and the unwanted doggy bath, Sirius had so graciously bestowed upon her.

After showering, she wrapped another large, fluffy towel around her body, and proceeded to walk into her bedroom.

_I wonder what it's all about _

_Everything I know is wrong __  
__Everything I do just comes undone __  
__And everything is torn apart _

_Oh and it's the hardest part __  
__That's the hardest part __  
__Yeah that's the hardest part __  
__That's the hardest part_

_  
_Sirius tried following Jessica into her bedroom, but by the time he reached it, the door was already securely shut. Jessica returned moments later in a fresh pair of yoga shorts and t-shirt. She walked lazily into the living room and threw herself down on the couch with a large sigh.

After a few moments, she heaved another huge sigh, and slowly rose from her position on the couch. She pulled her satchel towards her and pulled out her laptop and notes. Placing her glasses on her face, she immediately began typing her boss' schedule for the following week out.

Sirius watched her impatiently, scratching his paws softly on the wood floor to grab her attention; he finally heaved a dramatic sigh, after minutes of being ignored, which grabbed Jessica from her tedious typing. She raised one manicured eyebrow at him, questioning his need; it was at that moment that she realized she had yet to name him. "Ya know what; you need a name, unless you'd like to be known as Dog?"

Sirius merely huffed restlessly at her. "Okay, how about Parachutes? And as a nickname I can call you 'Chutes?" she asked him excitement evident in her voice, Sirius simply growled at her. "What? Parachutes is a beautiful name! That's what Coldplay named their first album and it's one of my favorite songs on the c.d.," she said in a matter-of-fact-tone that would have made Hermione Granger proud. He glared blankly at her.

"Okay, so Parachutes is a no-go, so how about..." she paused here thinking intently, "Oooh, how about Spies, another good Coldplay song," Sirius turned his back on her."Hey!" Jessica cried indignantly, "Spies is a good song," she pouted.

"Okay, okay, how about Coldplay...The Scientist...Shiver...Don't Panic ... X&Y ... Sparks ... Amsterdam... BIG BLACK DOG," she finally shouted. Sirius kept his back to her. "You're frustrating, you know that don't you," she said as she walked over to close the blinds. Jessica glanced out of the window and noticed the stars shining brightly in the sky.

"Nimbus, it's the name of a cloud, at least that's what my friend Will tells me," she said still staring at the dark sky.

Suddenly she remembered the Dog-Star constellation, "Okay, I think you'll like this one," she said turning to her new shaggy dog, "Sirius," she said waiting for some form of a reaction from him. Sirius walked towards her, barking happily and licked her outstretched hand, making sure she knew that she had his approval.

"Okay," she laughed, "we finally agree upon something," she said patting him softly. "Now I must return to my work, or my boss will have my ass on a silver platter tomorrow," she said walking back towards the vacated laptop. "What do I do, you ask," she said returning her eyes towards him seeing, what she interpreted as an inquisitive face, "well I get coffee, file crap, type crap, mail crap, see crap gets to places, and other such crap like that," she said thrusting a hand at the laptop, " I run errands, and do any other grunt work that needs to be done that no one else is willing to do," she said, her voice laced with happy sarcasm.

Later that evening, Jessica climbed sleepily into her bed, followed by an equally tired Sirius. "Nope," came her groggy voice, "Dogs don't sleep in the bed," she said trying to push him softly off the bed. Sirius, however, had different plans; he walked shakily to the foot of the bed, and fell lazily down with a huff.

Jessica rolled her eyes in a sleepy haze, before murmuring, "Whatever," she then laid down in bed and pulled the covers snugly around her body.

Hours later, Sirius awoke to the rude sounds of Jessica's loud snores. _You have got to be kidding me,_ he thought drowsily. Sirius silently morphed back into his human form, pulled out his wand, and muttered "Silencio," quietly. Instantly Jessica's snores disappeared and he smiled at his work.

Sirius stared quietly at Jessica for a moment; he noticed how the pale moonlight splashed attractively over her caramel skin and how her burnt umber hair sprawled messily over her pillow. He ran a finger softly through the medium length, silky tresses, relishing in the feeling of her cool hair against his warm skin, a feeling he hadn't felt in over 20 years.

Jessica turned her body sleepily, breaking his reverie; he cringed at the thought of being found out so early into his mission. He instantly morphed back into his animagus form and stole one last glance at her, before falling into a deep sleep. His mind filled with thoughts of his mission, the prophecy and the girl he currently shared a bed with.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

_Song: "You're My Best Friend" by Queen on the "Queen Greatest Hits I & II" album_

_Song: "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay on the "X&Y" album_

**The next few chapters are meant to help you get to know the OC, please don't let that scare you away.**

**As always I beg of you all too please review, it helps me know what you guys enjoy and what I should fix.**


	3. Never Leave Your Heart Alone

**AN: I own nothing, but the plot and a laptop.**

**Please READ & REVIEW!**

**Revised: August 22, 2006 (Brit-picked).**

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**Chapter 3--Never Leave Your Heart Alone**

Sirius awoke to an empty bed and the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen. He rose slowly, stretching his body out luxuriously, and slowly trotted his way into the kitchen. He heard music coming from the same contraption that it had yesterday, playing softly. _Man, she's always listening to depressing music,_ he thought drowsily.

_What if there was no light __  
__Nothing wrong, nothing right __  
__What if there was no time __  
__And no reason, or rhyme __  
__What if you should decide __  
__That you don't want me there by your side __  
__That you don't want me there in your life _

_What if I got it wrong __  
__And no poem or song __  
__Could put right what I got wrong __  
__Or make you feel I belong _

Jessica moved expertly around her kitchen as she prepared her normal breakfast, a steaming cup of hot chocolate, a chocolate chip muffin, and a few pieces of bacon. She was by no means the healthiest eater, but, as she reminded her friends who harped on about her eating habits, you only live once.

Sirius sat in the kitchen silently watching her sip the chocolate from her mug, waiting for her to notice him. She finally looked up from her breakfast, a soft smile forming on her lips when she saw him. "Hi, sweetie, are you hungry?" she asked as she moved to the refrigerator pulling more lunch meats from it. She quickly made him breakfast, before returning to hers.

"Okay, I hope you can stay here all by yourself for a couple of hours, because I don't know anyone who can or will be willing to watch you," she said placing her dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "I'll come home on my lunch break, to feed you and let you out for a walk. Hopefully, you can hold your bladder until then," she said, the last part more to herself than to him. "I'll also run to the grocery store and grab some dog food," she said smiling at him, as if this was good news, mimicking her moves from before by placing his dishes into the dishwasher.

_I won't be eating it,_ Sirius thought stubbornly to himself.

"Oh, and before I forget, I made you an appointment with my boyfriend, Fin, he's a vet, obviously," she said to him while grabbing her satchel, purse, and moving to the door. She placed the items back on the floor, patted her legs softly calling him to her. Sirius trotted over to her, and closed his eyes as she pleasantly scratched behind his ears, "Be good, okay, I'll be back before you know it," she said gathering her belongings once more and walking out of the door.

Sirius walked over to the window, standing on his back paws, peering out of the glass, making sure Jessica had indeed left. Once he was satisfied that she was gone he transformed back into his human form, giving a long stretch. He frowned slightly at the thought of Jessica having a boyfriend, but quickly pushed the thought from his mind.

Sirius casually walked into the bathroom to relieve his aching bladder, which Jessica had neglected that morning, "She better learn to let Padfoot out in the morning, if she doesn't want mess all over her floors," he said absently as he washed his hands.

Sirius then decided to take a long shower to allow his thoughts of the previous night to settle. Turning the water to just below scalding, Sirius stripped, and then quickly stepped in, groaning as the water beat pleasantly onto his back.

_It'll be easy to get information from her, because she thinks I'm a dog, therefore she'll be willing to tell me her secrets,_ he thought because he knew she wouldn't think him capable of telling anyone her private thoughts. _She's relatively clean;_ he thought as he grabbed her shampoo and began washing his hair.

As he washed the shampoo out of his hair, his mind drifted back to the prophesy and Dumbledore's words, '_Guided by the Dog-Star, Matrimony extends him...you'll need her,'_ _What can I possibly need from her? She's a child, romance is definitely out of the question, I'm too old for her._

Although Sirius was physically 28, he still held the mind of a 40-year old, and it had become hard for him to think of himself as a young man.

Sirius stepped out of the shower and placed one of Jessica's towels snuggly around his waist. He looked through her drawers and cabinets, finally finding the item he needed, a toothbrush. He then performed a spell to switch clothing from his apartment to Jessica's and changed quickly into them.

Sirius then decided to investigate her apartment, _Let's start in the bedroom,_ he thought walking towards the room. He decided to begin with this room because it would tell him more about her personality than any of the other rooms and it would help him get inside her mind and help him gain her trust once she found he was actually a man.

Sirius walked into Jessica's bedroom looking around at the eclectic master bedroom, taking in the artwork, which looked homemade, and the guitar sitting in the corner with a small notebook and pencil. He walked over to the notebook, debating about whether to look through it or not. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he lifted the book and began to read. _It'll help me get to know her better, _he reasoned with himself.

Sirius sat on her bed reading through her inner most thoughts, which were written out in diary form and then rewritten as poems. He marveled at how one person could evocate their feelings so thoroughly. He sat reading her diary for hours, delving deeper into her mind and feelings with each turning page. He paused at one page in particular as the words burned into his mind.

_And it's open__  
__for distraction__  
__you found all the words you need__  
__Well I found nothing__  
__I just grumble__  
__'cause I don't know what I feel_

The door opening pulled Sirius from his reading and he quickly put the notebook back in its place, before quickly morphing into his animagus form. He trotted into the living room, hearing Jessica call for him.

"Hey there, boy," she said greeting him with a smile, "I've got something for you," she said walking into the kitchen and pulling out various items consisting of two doggy bowls, numerous squeaky doggy toys and dog food.

Jessica washed out the bowls and began filling them with food and water, she sat the food down in front of him and she smiled down at him once again before beginning her own meal.

Jessica was halfway through her meal before she discovered that Sirius hadn't touched his food; he drank the water, but left the food alone. He sat staring at her as if to say _I'm not eating that_.

"Come on, you have to eat," she said taking another bite of her meal. Sirius only huffed at her, "What? The cashier said that her dog loves that stuff," she said taking a sip of her soda. Sirius growled at her making her eyes widen in surprise. "Fine, fine, here, you can have the rest of mine, you spoiled brat," she said placing her bowl in front of him. Sirius instantly lapped the meal up, giving a pleased sound once he had finished making her roll her eyes. Jessica walked out of the kitchen and towards the door, "I'll be back around five-ish or six-ish, depending on when that she-devil removes her claws from my back...and why I'm talking to a dog is beyond me," she said patting Sirius gently then walking out of the door.

Just as Sirius was about to transform the door opened quickly, "Sirius, come on, hurry, you need to use the bathroom," she said ushering him quickly from the apartment. She sat silently on the steps waiting for Sirius to relieve himself; he stared at her expectantly, "What? Okay, I'll turn around, seeing as you're _shy_," she said laughing and turning her back to him. _You see if you like someone staring at you while you're using the bathroom,_ he thought while sniffing the ground and quickly relieving himself.

"Okay, in you go," Jessica said letting Sirius inside and then quickly locking the door and heading back to work. Sirius instantly returned back to her bedroom opening the diary to the page he read last.

The words Sirius read in the diary let him see inside of her soul and her heart. The words and dates on the pages let him know when she was happy, sad, angry, or apathetic, and at the moment he knew that she was nursing a broken heart.

_  
__The moral to the story goes__  
__Never leave your heart__  
__Never leave your heart... alone_

_Run for shelter__  
__An umbrella__  
__Fights the rain but not the wind__  
__And I'd be silly __  
__To start preaching__  
__'cause I don't know which point to make_

_The moral to the story goes__  
__Never leave your heart__  
__In a box__  
__Locked up__  
__With cold cold ice__  
__Never leave your heart__  
__...Never leave your heart... alone_

_Am I frozen?__  
__But its summer__  
__Is that rain or is that me?__  
__Yes I'm melting__  
__Please be happy__  
__One day soon__  
__We might just swim_

_The moral to the story goes__  
__Never leave your heart__  
__In a box__  
__Locked up with cold cold ice__  
__Never leave your heart__  
__... Never leave your heart__  
__... Never leave your heart alone_

Sirius wasn't sure if Jessica's current boyfriend made her feel this way or if it was the previous one, but he knew that he had a deep hatred beginning to form for whomever made her feel this way.

He couldn't understand where these feelings were coming from, because he had barely spent 24-hours with Jessica. And yet he was already glad to be the one given the assignment because he wanted to be the one to protect her.

He was again pulled from his musings by the door shutting. Once again he put everything in its rightful place; he transformed and made his way into the living room to greet Jessica.

"Ugh, that lady is psychotic," she ranted sitting her things down and throwing herself down on the couch. Sirius immediately jumped on the couch and placed his head in her lap to comfort her.

"Hi," she said a smile forming on her lips when she felt Sirius' head fall into her lap. She absent-mindedly scratched his ears earning pleased sounds from Sirius all the while bashing her boss.

"She's evil and cruel, ugh...today she said she needed a dozen sweaters," she said speaking to Sirius as if he were an actual person. "And, well I asked her what kind of sweaters, you know, like what kind of fabric, color, neck-line, and so on, but was she helpful? Noooo, she told me to bore someone else with my stupid questions," Sirius tried to listen and he normally would have added a soft growl of annoyance towards her boss, but her hands were so soothing, he found himself dosing off.

"Aww, crap, what time is it?" she asked looking at her clock on her cell phone. "Damn, its 6:30, we're going to be late," she said jumping up and grabbing her keys. "Come on Sirius, you've got a doctor's appointment," she said, ushering him out the door.**

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**I personally adore Coldplay and find their music refreshing and beautiful, but my mother finds it depressing, so that's where the line from the beginning of the story comes from.**

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Please REVIEW! Chapter 3-4 are finished (completely written and beta-ed). Chapter 5 has been written, but needs to be beta-ed, which I'll send to my beta-reader when she comes back from her vacation. And chapter 6 is almost completely written. Thanks. **

**Please REVIEW!**

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_Song: "What If" by Coldplay on the "X&Y" album_

_Song: "Never Leave Your Heart Alone" by Butterfly Boucher on the "Flutterby" album_


	4. Snippety Snip

**AN: I own nothing…and I passed out about three minutes after receiving two shots, so please read and REVIEW, because it will make me feel better.**

Revised: August 22, 2006 (Brit-picked).

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Chapter 4--Low 

_The sky could fall, could fall on me __  
__The parting of the seas __  
__But you mean more, mean more to me __  
__Than any color I can see_

Jessica and Sirius made there way into the veterinarian office, which had been closed for the night, "Fin, are you up there?" she called up the stairs to his apartment, which was above his office.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute," he yelled down the stairs. Jessica sat in the examining room rubbing Sirius' fur rigorously, as though hoping to calm his nerves. She looked towards the stairs nervously, thinking she could hear voices other than Fin's.

"Hi Jessica," Fin said, walking up to her and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi, am I interrupting anything?" she asked glancing back at the stairs.

"No, why?" he smiled.

"Nothing. I just thought I heard you talking to someone," she said smiling uneasily back.

"Nope, just you, me, and the dog," he said gesturing to each person and Sirius in turn.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for doing this Fin, I don't know when I would have found the time to make an appointment during the actual office hours and I really want to make sure he's in tip-top condition," she said looking into his light green eyes.

Fin was an attractive man who had sandy brown hair, a medium build and beautiful green eyes, but what really attracted Jessica to him was his easy going attitude and agreeable persona.

"Well let's get him on the examining table," he said looking at Sirius.

Sirius, aided by Jessica, climbed on the examining table. He sat there in complete annoyance as the green-eyed man, began prodding him with cold, gleaming silver instruments.

"Okay, this dog is completely healthy," Fin said smiling reassuringly at Jessica, "but I think it would be to your advantage to get him neutered."

Sirius immediately jumped off the table, began growling, and backing away from Fin, causing Jessica to instantly crouch down and try to calm him.

"Jessica, here let me try," he said stepping towards Sirius which caused him to begin barking loudly.

"NO, Fin, step back, I can handle him," she said reaching her hand out and gently stroking his coat, "I don't know what the problem is, he's never acted like this before," she said looking back at him.

"How about a small sedative?" asked Fin pulling out a needle pushing it slightly so liquid sprouted out from it.

"NO," Jessica said hotly, "I think we should just go home, maybe he doesn't like males," she said looking back at Sirius with concerned eyes. "I'm going to take him home, thanks anyway," she said pulling on Sirius' leash to take him outside.

"Are you sure, Jessica? I mean a little sedative and I can check him out and you and I could have a small date," he said, smiling brightly at her.

"No, as tempting as that sounds," she said smiling uneasily again, "his needs are more important than mine at the moment, and what he needs is to get home."

"Jessica, think this through...we haven't seen each other in a week," he said giving her sappy love eyes.

"No, goodbye Fin," she said placing a kiss on his cheek and walking towards the door, "Besides, I have a long day tomorrow."

"Jessica, how about dinner, Saturday at seven?" he asked, eyeing her dog with contempt.

"Uh, sure, I'll meet you here," she said quickly as Sirius pulled her through the door, but not before sending one more vicious growl at Jessica's boyfriend.

Sirius immediately walked as fast as he could from the place, pulling Jessica along with him, for he had heard the voices as well and they disturbed him greatly. He mentally made a note to himself to go directly to see Dumbledore tomorrow whilst Jessica was at work.

_

* * *

Two Months Later _

Sirius, now with a new female vet and un-neutered, sat in Jessica's lap on the couch, feeling her fingers run soothingly over his coat, "How's that, hun? Are you feeling better?" she asked with concern in her voice. Sirius turned his head and licked her hand to show that he was feeling better.

They had run into Fin at the park a couple of hours earlier and his mind was reeling from all of the sudden emotions of hatred he had felt towards the man.

He let himself get lost in his thoughts of Fin and how the mere sight of the man made his hair stand on end. Fin was no good, he could feel it. The problem was getting Jessica to notice this, whilst restricted through his animal disguise.

_You just don't like him because he's Jessica's boyfriend and you're stuck being her dog,_ his mind shot at him.

_No, I don't like him because he's...he's...there's just something about him that bothers me and those voices…I'd know those voices anywhere _he fought back.

_Yeah, like the fact that she allows him to kiss her and hold her whereas the best you get is a pat on the back,_ he answered himself smugly.

He mentally shuddered at the image of Fin kissing Jessica on the lips when they met in the park which, in his opinion, had lasted entirely too long.

_Admit it, you like her,_ his mind taunted him.

_I don't like her...I'm merely fond of her_ he shot back.

_'Liking' someone and being 'fond' of someone is the same thing,_ his mind jabbed back.

_What about the voices? I didn't just conjure those up; that man is bad news,_ he threw at himself.

This went on for another five minutes until Sirius realized that Jessica was singing softly.

_I looked at your face I saw that all the love had died  
I saw that we had forgotten to take the time  
I, I saw that you couldn't care less about what you do  
Couldn't care less about the lies  
You couldn't find the time to cry_

_We forgot about love  
We forgot about faith  
We forgot about trust  
We forgot about us_

Sirius listened to her calming voice, recognizing the words from the diary entry she had made days ago.

_Now our love's floating out the window  
Our love's floating out the back door  
Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven  
Where it began back in God's hands_

Jessica's soft voice was ruined by the shrill ringing of her cell phone, "Ughh," she said as she picked it up, "Hello," she answered professionally, "Miss Malian, how can I..." she stopped as she was interrupted.

Sirius, with his canine capabilities, heard the other woman say, "I need you to make me a reservation at Cafe Pierre at Central Park's Four Seasons, immediately. I want the reservations made for 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening for five people. Make sure they have a secluded area set up," Sirius then heard the dial tone.

"Ughh, its 9:00 at night on a Thursday evening, damn it, they're probably going to be booked solid," but no matter how much these circumstances bother Jessica, she immediately removed her laptop from her satchel, found the restaurants number and began making the necessary calls.

"Monsieur, I understand that this is short notice, but when Miss Aimee Milian says she wants a reservation for five in a secluded area on Saturday at 8 o'clock p.m., she gets it, comprende?" she said with an air of authority.

"Thank you very much Monsieur, but if I may make a minor suggestion," she said in a serious tone, "Make sure there are no errors, no mistakes, or things that will push her buttons, or your restaurant will no longer exist," she said hanging up the phone.

"Okay Sirius, I think we can call it a night," she said looking at the clock, which read midnight. "That took two hours, man, that woman really pushes _my_ buttons," she said climbing into bed. Sirius immediately took his position at the foot of the bed and both fell into a restful sleep._

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**Please REVIEW, because it will make me feel better.**_

Song: "Low" by Coldplay on the "X&Y" album

_Song: "In God's Hands" on the "Loose" album_


	5. Comfortable

**AN: I own nothing except the plot and the characters you don't recognize from the Harry Potter series. Please READ & REVIEW.**

**Revised: October 8, 2006 (Brit-picked).

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Chapter 5—Comfortable**

**"_Our love was comfortable_**

**_And so broken in_**

**_She's perfect, so flawless_**

**_Or so they say"_**

Sirius walked through the filth that was Grimmauld Place, blowing harshly through his nose, trying to rid himself of the unpleasant smell. He made his way into the kitchen as a small Order meeting had been called that evening, due to the fact that Jessica was going out with her friends and so, he would not be missed.

Sirius slumped down in a chair next to the only other remaining true Marauder, Remus Lupin, clapping him on the back in greeting. He raised an amused eyebrow at the close proximity of his friend and his cousin's chairs. Remus politely ignored the look, only making Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Sirius then turned his attentions toward the other members gathered, or gathering, in the room. He clapped his godson on the back as he took the seat next to him. They gossiped about various things as they waited for the meeting to begin. Remus added his opinions when necessary but, much to Sirius' amusement, he kept his attention mostly fixed on a certain witch, currently with royal-blue hair.

Finally, Dumbledore walked into the kitchen, ensuing silence. He smiled slightly at the small group- something which had become a rarity in the past few Order meetings.

"I am happy to report that the Order has made a breakthrough concerning Voldemort." Here, he was interrupted as several; Order members hissed and shuddered at the mention of Voldemort's name. "More specifically, concerning his plans towards Miss Huxtable," Dumbledore continued, smiling at the small crowd of courageous youths as though there had been no interruption.

"With the added reports from both Severus and Sirius, the three of us have discovered that Voldemort has planted an inside person who has been feeding him information about Miss Huxtable." Dumbledore paused here to allow Sirius to continue with his information.

Sirius stood slowly from his seat to continue where Dumbledore finished. "This information could help Voldemort." He paused here with a look of annoyance as people continued to tremble at Voldemort's name. "To help him to sway Jessica to his side," he continued, frowning at the thought of his sweet, little Jessica becoming the wife, and possible lead Death Eater, to Voldemort.

"Does anyone have any idea who the inside person is?" Remus asked trying to help his friend who seemed to be lost in thought.

Sirius mentally shook his head to clear the disturbing image of Jessica with the black skull burned into her beautiful caramel skin and bowing to Voldemort.

"Hmmm, leads? Um…yes!" he exclaimed, finally regaining his composure. He threw a dirty look at Snape, who was sniggering in the back, then continued. "We have a few; the first one is her friend Will Adams, who I only met very briefly, but who Jessica says has been acting weird for the past six months and Fin Wainwright, her boyfriend." Sirius said the last part with a sneer.

"Therefore," Dumbledore resumed as Sirius was lost once again in thought, "I'll be sending two people to watch these two individuals," he said nodding to Sirius, telling him he could take his seat again.

"Remus you'll be in charge of following Will Adams." Remus nodded his head in recognition of Dumbledore's orders. "Remus you'll need to befriend Mr. Adams and gain as much knowledge as you can from him concerning Miss. Huxtable and his feelings towards her."

"And Nymph…Tonks you'll be in charge of following Fin Wainwright," Dumbledore said smiling merrily at her as her body shuddered at the near-mention of her first name. "Tonks, you'll just follow Mr. Wainwright until I give further notice."

"Headmaster, are you sure these _two_ are capable of these assignments," Severus said looking disdainfully down at Lupin and Tonks.

Sirius growled threateningly, while Tonks threw Snape a look that said 'piss off'. Remus, however, looked absolutely bored by the allegation of incompetence.

"I am certain, Severus," Dumbledore said looking down upon him sternly through his half-moon spectacles.

"Alright everyone," Dumbledore continued, cheerfulness evident in his voice once more. "This concludes the Order meeting. Everyone have a safe trip home," he said, making his way toward the door.

"Albus, if I could have one more minute of your time," Sirius said standing from his seat, moving to the door and walking through after him. "Alone," Sirius added hostilely as the Potions Master made to follow them.

Snape gave him a sneer before sweeping through the door, his black robes billowing behind him.

"Certainly, my dear boy," Dumbledore said happily, despite the slight look of disapproval in his eyes at the behavior of the two men.

"What seems to be the trouble?" he questioned looking at the young man who seemed to have a lot on his mind.

"Well, a few months back, Jessica took Padfoot to the vet for a check up, who turned out to be her boyfriend Fin." He said the name with such contempt it made the Headmaster smile knowingly.

"What about Mr. Wainwright?" he asked the small smile snug on his lips, making Sirius frown slightly.

"When we arrived in his office, which is also his home, I heard voices, as did Jessica, and one of the voices was very familiar," he continued with his story as well as telling the older man about his growing concerns regarding the fair-haired Vet.

"Well, Sirius, I'll be sure to tell Tonks this new information," he said smiling, before sweeping out of the building.

Sirius walked back into the kitchen, the smell of Molly Weasley's wonderful drawing him in.

* * *

Sirius sat on Jessica's bed, breathing in her soothing scent whilst awaiting her return home. The digital clock on her bedside table, which read 1:30 a.m. was making him worry about her safety.

He sat up quickly, making the bed squeak and began pacing the length of her room. Wild images began flashing through his mind, as his eyes traveled back to the clock.

_1:31 a.m._

Sirius glanced out the open bedroom door at the entrance of the apartment, willing the familiar sound of the keys clinking, the soft swish of the door being pushed opened and the gentle, female voice calling for him.

_1:33 a.m._

Sirius walked into the living room, pacing before the front door. Each passing minute placed more disturbing images in his mind.

_She was hurt in a dark alleyway, unable to call for help._

_Jessica was surrounded by Death Eaters, being tortured into joining Voldemort's cause._

_Jessica standing in a quaint chapel, in a beautiful flowing white dress, standing next to Fin, in a tailored black tuxedo, the two marrying in a late-night ceremony._

The last thought made Sirius' stomach drop, his heart freeze and his mind begin to feel fuzzy. He felt as if the ground was beginning to rise—or was the ceiling lowering? He wasn't sure, but the image of Jessica marrying bothered Sirius to no end and yet, he couldn't understand why.

_1:36 a.m._

Sirius was pulled from his musings, when he heard the door begin to softly open. He quickly morphed into his animagus form and sat in front of the door, playing the role of the lonely pet.

Jessica walked into the living room to find Sirius waiting patiently for her. She smiled serenely at him.

"Hi, baby," she said crouching down next to him and petting him softly before moving directly into the bathroom to shower.

Sirius laid by the bathroom door, waiting for Jessica to finish showering.

Jessica walked out of the bathroom in a fluffy towel, nearly tripping over Sirius' large form. Sirius raised his head from his front paws, and began drooling appreciatively at the sight of Jessica's toweled form.

She walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her and completely unaware of the scrutiny she was receiving from the over-sized canine.

Sirius pawed on the bedroom door, while giving whimpering sounds. He was sorely disappointed when Jessica opened the door fully dressed in her usual yoga shorts and t-shirt.

"B-bedtime," she yawned, while ushering Sirius into the room. Jessica climbed in the bed, and snuggled into the pillows, while pulling the covers over lower body.

Sirius watched her silently, before jumping into the bed, and snuggling into her almost stationary body.

She smiled sleepily as she turned her body to face him and placed her arm around his furry body.

Sirius felt his heart melt at the small gesture of familiarity and comfort, something her had yet to encounter with another female.

Sirius looked down at her sleeping form, contemplating whether to commit the next devious act that had been running through his mind for the last few weeks.

He thought of the consequences his actions would have if he were caught. Not knowing what to do, he thought of what his golden-eyed friend would say:

'_Padfoot, it's too dangerous. If she caught you, your entire mission would be ruined,'_

Just as he was about to let his idea go and go to bed, he heard the baritone voice of his brother, James:

'_Who says she's going to catch you? Come on, you've been a good boy for months, it's time you have some fun!'_

Sirius nodded his head at the words— he _had_ been a good boy for months and he really did need this.

He transformed back into his human form, holding his wand in his hand. He felt the last bit of uncertainty flickering through his mind. Finally, unable to restrain himself any longer, he muttered a deep-sleep spell over the brunette beauty, ensuring she was completely unconscious.

He then pulled her gently into his arms, placing his nose into her soft hair and breathing in her floral scent.

He couldn't help but think about how the smell was much more pleasing coming directly from her and not from a pillow.

Sirius looked at Jessica's peaceful face, his eyes traveled every inch of her face, resting on her lusciously plump lips.

He knew he shouldn't, but then again, he reasoned with himself, he was already doing something he shouldn't have been doing, so why not continue?

So he lowered his lips slowly towards hers, pausing just before he made contact:

'_Don't do it Pads,'_ he heard Remus sat sternly.

'_Go on,'_ James said egging him on.

'_Alright, but when this blows up in your face, don't come moping to me.'_

'_Well hurry up, kiss the girl then.'_

'_Gladly,'_ he thought.

With that Sirius pressed his lips to hers, barely adding pressure, all the time hoping that the spell would keep her from waking up.

He pulled back tentatively, looking over her face for any sign of consciousness. Finding none, he moved his lips back to hers, this time adding more pressure.

Sirius found himself getting lost in the feel of her lips against his; he barely registered her lips beginning to move in response. It wasn't until his tongue was slipping past her parted lips, did the situation register in his mind.

Sirius broke the kiss abruptly, making her whimper in protest and open her eyes.

Sirius stormy grey eyes met her deep, chocolate-brown eyes, which were full of sleep. He closed his eyes grievously, waiting for the consequences of his actions to begin to rear its head.

He opened his eyes when he heard her voice tremble slightly from fear. "Who a-are you?"

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**Please REVIEW! I'm always looking for ways to improve and your comments tell me what to do and what not to do. So please REVIEW!**

_"Comfortable" by John Mayer._


	6. Killer Queen

**AN: I own nothing but the plot and the characters you don't recognize. Read & REVIEW!**

**Updated: October 27, 2006 (Brit-picked).**

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**Chapter 6-Killer Queen**

_She's a Killer Queen  
Gunpowder, gelatin  
Dynamite with a laser beam  
Guaranteed to blow your mind  
Anytime_

_Drop of a hat she's as willing as  
Playful as a pussy cat  
Then momentarily out of action  
Temporarily out of gas  
To absolutely drive you wild, wild..  
She's all out to get you_

Voldemort stood surrounded by his faithful Death Eaters, who were listening intently to his speech.

"She is an invaluable piece in this war," he said, speaking of the brown-haired and brown-eyed woman who was currently an ocean away. "Those Order members and a few of you," he said scathingly, his eyes sweeping over the trembling figure of Peter Pettigrew, "are merely pawns in this war, but she, she is as priceless as the Queen, and I want her **now**."

He strode slowly around the circle taking in the postures and attitudes of each person present in the meeting, which could turn deadly for any one of the members should his mood sanction it.

"My Lord, if I may speak?" came the cold, silky voice of Cesare Malenfort.

Voldemort inclined his head a fraction of an inch, granting him access.

"Why don't you just cast the Imperius Curse on her- or even the Cruciatus Curse? I'm sure that a little pain would get her to see reason," he said with a cruel smile.

Voldemort smiled menacingly. "Cesare, normally, so adept with ideas worthy of being heard by Lord Voldemort but, on this occasion, you have failed wretchedly," he said while his eyes where trained lovingly onto his wand.

"If you _remember_, Cesare, she can not be forced through spells and curses. Her choice must be un-coerced and of her own free will, or else her magic will never transfer to me. Now, if I am patient enough to wait for him to seduce her and then bring her to me, then you should be as well. Do you understand now? Have I made myself clear?"

Cesare nodded mutely, warily watching the wand being caressed tenderly by his Master.

"Good…see that you continue to understand. _Crucio_." Voldemort said lazily in his chillingly cold voice. He watched with red, gleaming eyes as Cesare withered on the ground at his feet. Voldemort finally lifted the curse for there were more pressing matters to be discussed.

"Alright…now that that's been settled…Cassi," Voldemort said turning his brilliant eyes on the blond haired woman, "I assigned to you the task to befriend Jessica…is that correct?" he asked gliding slowly over to her.

"Yes Master," she answered with her head hung low.

"And…you still have yet to _meet_ her…is that correct?" he asked while gliding his wand through his thumb and index finger.

"Yes Master."

"Why is this, Cassi? Do you feel that my instructions are inane? Do you feel that I, Lord Voldemort, am frivolous and will take your disobedience lightly?" he hissed, eyeing the petite woman with distain.

Cassiopeia lifted her blue eyes from the ground, widened with fear and shame, "N-no my Lord…Master she's a hard person to come in contact with…and she has that d…."

Voldemort lifted his hand to stop her ranting, "I don't want to hear your useless ramblings. I don't want any excuses- just get it done **now**…how you've disappointed me…_Crucio!_"

Voldemort watched with satisfaction as Cassi trembled on the ground in agonizing pain, he listened to her screams of terror with indifference. He lifted the curse and stared down on her with a lack of concern and spoke in a nonchalant tone, "It would be in your best interest if you performed the task I set out for you quickly or you'll see what Lord Voldemort looks like angry."

"My Lord, if I may speak?" Bellatrix Lestrange asked bowing her head to the tall, pale and bald headed wizard.

Voldemort quirked an eyebrow at the Azkaban escapee, approving her request to speak.

"I can do what Cassiopeia," she cast the blond, who was still lying in the dust on the ground, a look of pure venom, "is unable to do, if it is alright with you Master."

"Such a gracious offer Bella," he said smiling sadistically at her, "but no, you are not fit for this undertaking because I do not doubt that that Mudblood lover Dumbledore has someone watching Jessica and you are easily recognized whereas Cassi is known by few.

But Cassi, I must remind you to be on guard, especially for the Animagus, Black, the worst blood-traitor of them all, for he is also mentioned in the prophecy." Voldemort swept his eyes back over Cassiopeia, who was now standing back in her original position.

"Cassi, I do not want her falling into the arms of that cheap Casanova, Black…do you understand that?" He questioned Cassi, as though he was speaking to a small child.

"Yes Master. I won't fail you again," she said bowing.

"Oh I know you won't Cassi, or what you've experienced tonight will seem like a walk in the clouds compared to what I'll do to you should you decide to thwart my plans. Now all of you…get out of my sight!"

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_Song: "Killer Queen" by Queen on the "Queen: Greatest Hits I & II"_


	7. Novocaine

Chapter 7—Novocaine

"_Out of body and out of mind_

_Kiss the demons out of my dreams_

_I get the funny feeling that's alright_

_Jimmy says it's better than air_

_I'll tell you what…_

_Drain the pressure from the swelling_

_This sensation over whelming_

_Give me a long kiss goodnight_

_And everything will be alright_

_Tell me that I won't feel a thing_

_So give me Novocaine"_

Sirius stared at her for a moment, opening his mouth to explain why a fully grown man was lying in her bed, where her dog once laid, with his arms wrapped protectively around her.

Suddenly an idea popped into his mind, he hastily grabbed his wand, which was lying beside him, pointed it at her, and said, "Sueño."

Jessica, whose face was once full of stark fear, immediately relaxed and appeared blank, indicating the spell was preformed successfully.

"Who am I, you ask," Sirius said relief evident in his voice, "I'm your Captain Jack Sparrow," he said smiling charmingly, thinking of her small obsession with Johnny Depp and his character from Pirates of the Caribbean, a Muggle movie, he'd been forced to watch several times.

Jessica bit the corner of her bottom lip, while forming a small smile, something that Sirius found incredibly sexy.

"Well if you're my Captain Jack Sparrow, then who does that make me?" she asked softly, the corner of her lip still trapped between her teeth.

"My Jessica," he said huskily, placing his hand on her cheek, caressing it slowly, which made a sigh come from her.

He lowered his face to hers, and placed his lips on hers once more, this time with more vigor.

Jessica kissed him back with the same fervor, she felt herself being rolled onto her back, as the dark-haired man lay across her.

She nibbled on his lower lip gently, earning a growl of approval from the man above her.

Sirius completely lost himself in the kiss, once again, this time the fear of being caught far from his mind, and pleasure in its place.

He kissed down the column of her neck, making her moan in gratitude, his hand slipped slowly up her shirt, tracing small patterns on her stomach, side, and back.

Sirius' tongue traveled back up the length of her neck, and he kissed her lips again with zeal.

Jessica felt her stomach drop as his tongue touched her body, and she eagerly returned his kiss, hoping it would never end.

Suddenly the reality of his actions became known in his mind, and the logical side of his brain (_'Yeah, you forgot about me, didn't you?_), something that was rarely heeded, made itself heard.

'_You need to stop, right now, before this goes any further,'_ his brain shouted at him. _'You're already taking advantage of her vulnerability...using a spell to take advantage of her,'_ he reprimanded himself.

Sirius immediately felt guilt seep into his heart as those thoughts ran through his mind. He pulled back reluctantly, making Jessica whimper in disappointment, almost snapping his will-power in two.

He smiled sadly down at the dazed looking woman in his arms, hoping that one day he would be able to kiss her again in that manner, with no form of coercion. He rolled onto his back placing a small amount of distance between the two.

Jessica was about to begin to protest his actions, but she was silenced with a sweet and simple kiss, and pulled back into his arms possessively.

Sirius placed a soft kiss onto her temple, watching as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

He intended to watch her sleep, but the warmth from her body so close to his, and the warmth from his heart (because she was finally in his arms), lulled him into a peaceful sleep.

Sirius woke to the feel of the sunlight streaming through the blinds, his arms still wrapped tightly around Jessica's sleeping form.

He kept his eyes closed, but tightened his grip on the unconscious female, trying to force the moment to last a tiny bit longer.

He felt her shift slightly, and cringed at the thought of being caught…_again_, sighing in disappointment; he transformed into Padfoot, and waited for her to regain consciousness.

He knew that one day he would be able to watch her sleep and wake up without worrying about being caught out of his animagus form, and he was silently counting the days.

Jessica felt the sunlight shining on her face; she stretched her body out with a loud moan and a big smile on her face. Normally, she was not a morning person, but the dream she had last night gave her a refreshing feeling, one she had never felt.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully to her dog that was lounging peacefully on the bed with her, and bounced out of the bed, walking with vigor towards the kitchen.

Sirius smiled knowing that he was the reason was the reason that Jessica was so happy.

Halfway through the afternoon, Jessica, sat down, with Sirius curled up by her side, and watched Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time, smiling and fighting the urge to squeal with delight every time Captain Jack Sparrow came on the screen, and failing miserably each time.

Jessica closed her eyes, and went to sleep, hoping that her mystery man would appear again that evening.

Sirius watched Jessica closely, making sure she was indeed asleep. He transformed into his usual appearance and instantaneously cast the Dream Illusion spell on her once again.

He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't resist the urge to hold and kiss her once again. She was a drug, this was a drug, he swore to it, but he had already had a taste, and he would be damned if he denied himself the sweet relief of her lips, skin, and scent, just because it went against a few petty morals.

He knew she'd be pissed later, but he was determined to make it up to her, and he knew just the way to, when the problem arose.

Sirius began to softly stroke her hair, and placed light kisses on her eyes, cheeks, and finally on her pleasantly plump lips.

Jessica slowly began to regain awareness, and began to kiss him slowly back.

Sirius groaned in the back of his throat as he felt her lips move against his. He began to kiss her with passion while moving his body over hers, and locking her arms above her head with one of his strong hands.

Jessica moaned in delight as he positioned himself above her, blissfully happy that he had returned to her once again.

Reluctantly Sirius removed his mouth from hers, and looked down on her beautiful face. He couldn't believe that mere months ago he had called her simply pretty, now he knew he was a fool. She was beautiful, gorgeous even, and if no one else saw this, it was their problem, not his.

The way her deep chocolate eyes lit with happiness when she looked at him, all but made him putty in her hands, it had been a long time that a woman had looked at him like that.

Sirius dipped his head back down to hers, and kissed her once more with fire. He smiled into the kiss as he felt Jessica's body completely relax underneath his.

His lips began to slowly travel down her face and down to her neck. He sucked incessantly on her neck, leaving a red blotch on her neck, marking her as his territory.

Sirius then moved back to her lips, while releasing her hands from his grip. Jessica moved her hands into his hair, as she did the night before, and massaged his head stimulatingly.

Sirius let out a gluttonous moan as her hand worked through his hair and her lips moved passionately against his. He moved his hands to her stomach, pushing her shirt up her caramel stomach, rubbing his hands up the entire length continuously, while removing his lips from hers, and placing a small circle of kisses around her belly-button.

Sirius then began to suck on the skin right beneath her belly-button, making another mark of ownership on her body.

Jessica pulled his head gently back to hers and kissed him sweetly on the lips, making Sirius melt for the second time that evening.

_Song: "Novocaine" by Green Day on the "American Idiot" album._


	8. A Tale of Two Hickies

**AN: I own nothing, but the characters (that you don't recognize) and the plot. Please read and REVIEW!**

**Revised: November 5, 2006 (Brit-picked).**

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Chapter 8—A Tale of Two Hickies**

"What the hell is this?" Jessica asked, looking in the mirror at the huge red blotch on her neck.

"It looks like a hickey," her friend Charlotte said.

"Oooh, Jessica's got a hickey! Who's been biting you, or better yet, who have _you_ been biting?" her friend Will asked in an excited voice.

"I haven't been biting anyone Will, nor has anyone been biting me," she said still looking in the mirror at the red mark.

Sirius sat there in complete silence, cursing himself for leaving his mark in such an obvious spot.

"What about that hottie with a body Fin?" Will asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Sirius barked menacingly at Will, making him jump and move away from him.

"Please…he doesn't even know where I live," she said, waving her hand in dismissal before patting Sirius' back to calm him down.

"What? He doesn't know where you live…How long have you two been dating?" Charlotte asked, looking at Jessica weirdly.

"Uh…we've been seeing each other for…hmm…four months…I think…" she said not completely sure.

"And he still doesn't know where you live?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No…do you know how many crazy people are out there in the world…I watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit…and besides I get this weird vibe from him sometimes…like…I don't know…like there's more to him than he's letting on…you know what I mean?" she asked her two friends.

"No," they both said shaking their heads.

"Well I do," she said in a challenging voice.

Charlotte and Will looked at each other, both deciding to drop the subject of Fin.

Jessica gave a long stretch which raised her shirt up, revealing the skin beneath her belly button.

"So who gave you that hickey…actually who gave you both of those hickies?" Will asked with a smirk when he noticed the red mark under Jessica's belly button.

"What are you talking about? I only see one mark," Jessica said moving back to the mirror to examine her neck again.

"It's not on your neck, sweetie. It's beneath your belly button," he said, laughing.

"Will stop laughing at me," Jessica pouted.

She raised her shirt up, revealing the red blotch on her stomach once again.

"What in the world?" she said, running her fingers over the mark lightly. "Maybe I'm getting a rash," she grimaced.

"Those are no rash marks Jessica, those are hickies," Charlotte said lightly. "And if Fin didn't give them to you, then who did?"

"I'm not seeing anyone other than Fin," she said. Jessica's mind wandered back to the dream she had the previous night- she could almost feel the mystery man in her dreams sucking his mark onto her body, she blushed slightly.

"Hmm, maybe the dog gave it too you," Will said, laughing hardly.

Sirius raised his head from his two paws slightly. _'If only he knew,'_ he thought with a small smile.

"Yeah, that's right my dog gave me two hickies. Get real, Will," Jessica said rolling her eyes at her friend's stupidity.

"Well I have to be going," Will said standing from the couch, "I have plans to meet a dashing older man for coffee."

"Ooohh, Will's got a boyfriend," Jessica taunted. "What's his name?"

"His name, if you must know, is Remus," he said with a smile.

"Ooohh Remuuussss," Jessica and Charlotte squealed, laughing.

"No, but seriously Will, is he gay?" Charlotte asked. "Because you remember what happened the last time," she said making Jessica snort at the memory of Will assuming a guy was gay.

The two had made plans to meet for dinner and then they were going to go to the theatre, but the guy had shown up with his girlfriend. Will had been devastated for days.

"Uh…I'm not exactly sure, we've met a couple of times, but I'm not getting the gay vibes from him." he said with a frown.

"He's probably not gay then…Sorry, sweetheart," Jessica said with a sympathetic smile.

"Well, regardless of his sexual preference, I have to go. Don't want to keep Remus waiting," he said with a smile, before walking out the door.

"I'm going to go too," Charlotte said giving Jessica hug, before following Will out the door.

Jessica locked the door, and then moved to the mirror again to look at her neck, before moving her hand down to her stomach.

"What is going on?" she asked flustered, her hands running over both marks.

Sirius sat staring at Jessica as she ran her hands over her body and he couldn't help but think how sensual she looked. He tried to shake the thought from his mind, but it held firm. He thought of his own hands moving slowly over her body, teasing her, making her gasp in shock. He was so lost in thought that he jumped as he heard the knock at the door.

Jessica walked over to the door, looking through the peep hole she saw a petite blond woman standing patiently outside.

"Can I help you?" she called through the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a Jessica Huxtable, I'm Cassiopeia Burke. Aimee Milian sent me over with some files she needs you too look through," she said.

"Damn woman," Jessica hissed, before opening the door with a small smile.

"No problem, come on in," she said moving to allow the woman to enter, "Do you need any help?" she asked seeing the box full of files the girl was lugging.

"No, but thanks anyway," she said sitting the box on the living room table.

"Okay, did she tell you exactly what she wanted me to do with these files?" Jessica asked.

"Uh…well she said that there is a list of instructions in the box…Uh, I could help you if you'd like…" Cassiopeia said nervously looking around the apartment.

Sirius growled at Cassiopeia, making her jump slightly, her eyes widened, before moving swiftly to her pocket.

Jessica looked between Sirius and Cassiopeia. It was obvious that Sirius was uncomfortable around the young woman, so she thought it best to go through the files by herself.

"That's a nice offer, but it doesn't seem that my dog has taken a liking to you…so I'm going to decline the offer, but thanks anyway," she said shooting an annoyed glance at the dog.

"Oh, uh, okay," she said cursing the dog in her mind. Her master was not going to like this at all.

"Goodbye, Cassiopeia, maybe I'll see you at work," Jessica said nicely.

"Uh…sure, you can call me Cassi, but yeah, see you at work," she said walking out of the door.

Jessica locked the door after her, before turning to glare at the dog, once again.

"Thanks very much, dog," she said annoyed.

'_You should be thanking me…I just saved you from a psychotic bitch,'_ he thought, annoyed by her glare.

"Well I better get started on this," she sighed dejectedly.

'_And I'd better get Dumbledore to call an Order meeting,'_ Sirius sighed.

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**Please REVIEW!**


	9. To Be Gay or Not To Be Gay

**AN: Okay I own nothing but the characters you don't recognize and the plot. Please read and review, I know it's short, but I've been extremely busy, but I wanted to post something. Thanks for the patience. REVIEW.****

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****Chapter 9—To Be Gay or Not To Be Gay…_That_ Is the Question**

_Who knows what could happen?_

_Do what you do_

_Just keep on laughing_

_One things true there's always a brand new day_

_I'm going to live today like it's my last day_

_Find yourself_

'_Cause I can't find you_

_Be yourself_

_Who are you?_

Will spotted a man with a dashing gray streak at the temple of his head and immediately made his way over to him.

"Remus, it's so good to see you again," he said batting his eyelashes alluringly.

Remus fought the urge to shake his head at the five-foot-nine, brunette man, who took the seat across from him. "Thanks Will its good to see you again."

"So what are we going to do today?" Will asked in an excited tone.

"I'm not exactly sure...I thought that we could just have some lunch…and talk," Remus said while grabbing the menu to browse through it.

"Oh that sounds good," Will said, staring at Remus intently, trying to pick up any signs that would suggest that he was gay.

The two sat in an awkward silence. Will trying to determine Remus' sexual preference and Remus trying to think of a way to let Will down gently enough that they were still friends, therefore ensuring that his mission would continue, but severe enough that he understood immediately that he was indeed not interested in him, because he had set his sights upon another.

"So…Remus," Will began in a suspicious voice, "have you ever seen a Broadway play?"

"No."

"Oh."

The silence once again surrounded the two. Remus looking at the menu with minimum interest, and Will stealing sly glances at Remus, while pretending to be absorbed in the selections on the menu.

"Which era do you think was Cher's best?"

"Cher? Who's Cher?" Remus asked with a blank look on his face.

"Holy Rolling Stones! You don't know who Cher is…she's only like the Goddess of the Gays," Will screeched while clutching dramatically at his heart. "I think I may faint…waiter_-gasp- _water_-gasp-_ stat! She's only like one of the greatest singers and entertainers in the world!"

"Will calm down…it's not that bad…I don't know a lot of the American musicians…" Remus said putting emphasis on his British accent. "I'm from England."

"Who gives a flying nipple clip that you're from England…you don't know who Cher is…what kind of gay man are you?" he asked still in hysterics.

"I'm not gay."

"What! And you've been leading me on this entire time," Will shrieked standing from his chair.

"I haven't been leading you on…I thought we were friends," Remus said soothingly, "Aren't we friends Will? Does it really matter that I like being with women?"

"Um…well…I guess," Will said squirming from foot to foot, "I guess it doesn't matter," he said sitting back in his seat quietly.

"Okay…well now that's all out in the open, how about we go for a walk around the city," Remus offered, hoping to get away from the gawking lunch crowd.

"I guess that would be nice," Will said standing from his chair, acting as if nothing had happened. "Ciao everyone, the fabulous people are leaving," he called out as they exited leaving everyone in a small stunned silence.

While walking down the streets of New York, the two noticed Jessica's boyfriend, Fin, talking to a petite fair-haired figure. "Hey I think that's Fin, Jessica, you remember Jessica, don't you Remus, well in case you don't, she's my best friend…amazing girl, really, you'll have to meet her…but anyway like I was saying, that's Fin, her boyfriend, who I might like to add, does not know where she lives, isn't that wild, yes, yes, darling I know it's crazy, but well Jessica tends to be a bit paranoid at times, but like I was saying, who's that blond he's with?

"Is he cheating on her? He better not be, because if he is, he'll have the two of us to answer to," Remus raised his eyebrows at this. As Will continued to ramble on, Remus noticed a graying woman, with eccentric violet eyes, she winked discretely at him, after he sent her a dashing smile.

Fin walked briskly down the street, listening half-heartedly to the fair woman walking beside him.

"He needs you to hurry, he's getting impatient."

"Yes, yes, I know, but I can't rush things with her, no matter how impatient he's becoming," he said in a bored, rushed tone, trying desperately to rid himself of her.

"Look," she snapped grabbing his arm, "I would watch that tone of yours, because if you don't do your job, he'll have not only your head, but your entire body, among other things."

Fin shook her hand off of his arm, before hissing, "Don't you forget who resides in me and is supporting me, because I'll have not only your head, but your entire body, among other things," he said with a dangerous glare in his eye.

"Now, you better go, because I think that's Jessica best friend, Will, and he'll probably go buzzing in her ear, telling her I'm cheating on her, and that would put a large dint in our plans, and we wouldn't want that, now would we," he said mockingly.

"No, we wouldn't," the flaxen woman sneered back, before disappearing into the crowd.

Throughout the entire exchange of words, neither figures noticed the pair of violet eyes watching the entire scene and listening to the entire argument.

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**Again sorry for the shortness, but please REVIEW anyway.**

_Song: "Who Knows" by Avril Lavigne on the "Under My Skin" album_


	10. Late Nights: Part I

**AN: So I know I haven't updated in a long time but please don't hate me. I'm trying very hard and thank you all for being patient with me. Okay so I don't own a thing but the plot and the things you don't recognize.**

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Chapter 10—Late Nights 

_Singing, that I never meant to cause you trouble,_

_I never meant to do you wrong,_

_And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,_

_Although I never meant to do you harm._

_They spun a web for me,_

_They spun a web for me,_

_They spun a web for me._

**(One Month Later)**

Jessica and Fin walked silently around the hectic city of New York, listening to the ambiance that surrounded them. Fin kept shooting furtive, shy glances toward Jessica making her smile softly at him.

Fin smiled slightly at Jessica, before taking her hand firmly in his, and placing a soft kiss on the back of it. Jessica felt her heart melt at the small gesture, and found herself falling more and more for him. She knew that he cared a great deal for her and that made her want to give her heart to him.

"Jessica," Fin began slowly while continuing to hold onto her hand tightly and bringing them to a stop, "I need to tell you something. It's important that you know this."

He seemed so nervous that Jessica couldn't help but find him adorably cute, but the way his light green eyes seemed to burn into hers made her uneasy. She smiled at him, hoping to ease a bit of his butterflies.

"Jessica," he whispered moving closer to her, "Jessica I feel that…I think that…I know that I'm starting to fall in love with you," he said almost inaudible above the busy streets of New York.

She knew she should tell him she felt the same way, because she felt that he was the man she had been searching for. But try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to do it. In the back of her mind was an image of a raven haired, dark eyed man, who made her feel sensual, sexy, and desirable. And even though she knew he wasn't real and only a figment of her imagination, she couldn't bring herself to betray him by giving her love to another.

"Fin…I," she sighed, "I care very deeply for you…but love…love scares me," she breathed. This statement wasn't a complete lie, but she knew that she had left out significant parts. She was afraid to fall in love with him, but not with the mysterious man from her dream, because she had already fallen for him.

"I think that maybe we shouldn't see each other for awhile," she said sadly, lowering her head away from his penetrating gaze.

Jessica snapped her head back to look at Fin, when she felt his grip tighten to an alarming and painful rate.

"Fin, Fin let go of my hand," she said forcibly with a frown on her face.

He looked at her with murder in his eyes, about to refuse to let go, when a voiced hissed in his head.

'_Let her hand go…if you show our true colors then we won't be able to seduce her later.'_

He nodded his head slightly, before plastering an apologetic look on his features, "I'm sorry Jessica, I don't know what got into me. Let me take you home," he said stepping away from her.

"No that's fine, I can manage to get home on my own," she said looking around for a cab.

"Look Jessica I'm really sorry…all I can say is I hope we can still be friends," he said with a small pleading tone in his voice.

"We'll see Fin," Jessica said waving down a cab and stepping in it, but before she closed the door she said one more thing, "Goodbye Fin," and with that Jessica slammed the door to the taxi closed and felt the jolt of the cab taking off.

* * *

Jessica stood in her apartment listening to her friend Cassi rant about her problems with their boss. "I mean she's just so v-vicious," she hiccupped slightly.

"I know, Cassi, I know, but you can't let her get to you," she said while rubbing her back softly.

"I think I'm just going to quit," she said with a tear stained face.

"No Cassi, you can't quit," Jessica said in a firmer tone, "I thought you needed this job, Lord knows that I do, what about all those student loans you have to pay off. We were gonna do it together and then go out partying," she said smiling softly at the blond.

"I know Jessica, but I guess you just have thicker skin than I do. How can you just let her talk to you that way, without any retaliation or anything?" she asked sniffling faintly.

"Well, I've been with Malian for almost a year now, so I'm used to it now. But I didn't use to be so closed to it. I used to come home and cry everyday and I was so close to quitting about my second month, but I told myself that if I did that I'd have just proved to them that I was weak, and I'm anything but.

I just let all her negativity go in one ear and out the other, you have to or they'll eat you alive. And then I had to prove my parents wrong." She said with a small smile. Cassi gave Jessica a questioning look, which made Jessica's smile widen.

"My parents told me that when I came here I'd be back home in Kansas City in two months time, because I wouldn't be able to cope with 'the big city life,' and I refused to see their looks of 'I told you so,' and 'you should have listened to us,' I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of being right," she said with a scowl on her face.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I know that I would have gone crazy listening to them tell all their friends about how I came running back home after two months in the big bad city of New York."

The two sat in a small silence, each sipping from their cup of tea and lost in thought. Jessica stifled a yawn and looked to the clock.

"Wow, look at the time, it's getting so late," Jessica said picking up the glasses of tea and moving them to the kitchen counter.

"I'm so sorry to show up unannounced tonight," Cassi said drying her eyes slowly, "It's just I didn't know who else to talk too."

"Oh don't worry I wasn't going to get much done anyway, not with the night I had today," she said grimacing.

"Why? What happened?" Cassi asked with concern.

"Oh nothing I just broke up with my boyfriend tonight," she said smiling sadly.

Sirius, who had remained quiet and annoyed throughout the entire conversation, perked his head up at this piece of information. He felt like going back to his human form, grabbing Jessica and having his raunchy way with her.

"Why, I thought you two were doing so good," Cassi said concerned. Jessica felt touched as she heard how worried Cassi was for her, but she had no idea about where Cassi's alarm actually lay.

'_Damn, the Dark Lord is not going to be happy about this at all. I have to try and fix it.'_

"We were, but then I just…I don't think we're on the same page, he's talking love and I'm having dreams of another man, who's nothing like Fin, but this man…he's just…I don't know how to describe him, but he is," she finished with a faraway look in her eyes.

Sirius smirked and nodded his head smugly, happy that he was the reason that Jessica had given Fin his walking papers.

"Jessica, have you thought this through," Cassi said seriously.

'_Yes, she has thought this through you evil bitch,'_ Sirius thought peeved. _'Stop trying to take her away from me.'_

"You and Fin were so cute together…and he's such a nice man, he's perfect," Cassi finished.

"No, actually he's not perfect…he has a bit of a temper. I never saw it until tonight, but when I told him we should part ways, he squeezed my hand so tight, I thought he was going to break it," she said while flexing her hand.

Sirius growled tremendously, making both girls jump in shock. Jessica walked over to Sirius with a smile on her face, knelt and began rubbing his fur slowly.

"You're just a big teddy bear aren't you?" she asked while running her nails through his fur vigorously.

Cassi looked at the dog with contempt. She grasped her wand for added protection and to ease her mind. Cassi noticed that Jessica had begun to ignore her, but she still opened her mouth once again to try and change her mind, but unfortunately for her Jessica had other plans.

"I'm not going to change my mind Cassi, and besides it's almost two in the morning and I'm tired," she said with finality.

Cassi took the hint and moved to the door, "I just don't want you to ruin a good thing over a dream," she then walked out and shut the door quietly behind her.

Jessica locked the door and immediately went to bed, tired from the break-up and the arguments; she only wanted to dream of the handsome man who had stolen her heart.

* * *

Again Jessica wasn't disappointed. She felt the warm lips moving from her lips to her neck to her collarbone, and she moaned appreciatively.

His entire body covered hers and she felt his desire, and she wanted him to cure her of the desire she held for him, but he always refused. His refusal frustrated her, but strangely it aroused her even more. And this time was definitely no different.

"Please," she breathed in his ear, smiling as she felt him grow larger.

Sirius stifled his groan and tried to keep his bearings about him. But the way she pleadingly breathed in his ear and the way she arched her chest to his, made it increasingly difficult to refuse her.

He kissed her lips softly, trying to slow her down. He knew she was a virgin, he'd know that even if her file hadn't told him. The way the tiny things would set her off so easily and the way she shied away from him the first time he had become aroused told him she was inexperienced.

No matter how bad he wanted to, he couldn't take advantage of her vulnerability that way and he wanted their first time together to be something she would remember as a reality and not a dream.

"Not yet love, not yet," he'd always say and this time was definitely no different.

* * *

Voldemort stood in the middle of his faithful Death Eaters, watching them avidly.

"It's time…I'm done waiting. I want her now," he said fiercely. "Avery, Nott, Malfoy, and Bella go get her for me. And don't mess this up."

The four members nodded and gave a mute "Yes Master," before Apparating to Jessica's apartment.

Voldemort sent the rest of the Death Eaters on their way and then Apparated to a grand Victorian home. He walked through extravagant halls lined with heirlooms from his ancestors, lined with his pureblood past while ignoring his lesser half, his Muggle half.

He walked into his bedroom decked with his heritage; silver and green showing that he was Slytherin through and through.

"Yes," he hissed quietly looking around the room and finally resting his cold eyes on the king sized bed, "You will soon join me Jessica."

He slithered in the bed, awaiting his killer queen.

* * *

Jessica and Sirius lay asleep, wrapped in each others arms, both oblivious to the threat that moved towards them.

Sirius' eyes snapped open at the sounds of four tiny pops inside the living room. He grabbed his wand and leapt from the bed to shut and lock the door.

He moved back to Jessica and shook her awake, "Jessica, love, wake up," he said in an urgent whisper.

Jessica rolled over to face him, her eyes sleepily open and her lips still alluringly plump from Sirius' kisses, he couldn't help but smile. But his smile soon faded as he heard the Death Eaters begin moving through the small apartment.

"Hi," she said smiling as she looked at Sirius, she moved to kiss him, but he moved from her reach making her pout prettily.

"Not now love. We have to get you out of here, you're in great danger, baby," he said flicking his wand effortlessly making underwear, clothing, and other necessities, including her journal, instantly move into an overnight bag.

Jessica' eyes flashed to her bedroom door as she heard footsteps moving towards it. She rushed from the bed and slipped her flip flops on, moving to the window, intent on climbing down the fire escape.

"No, darling, you'll never make it that way. Just give me your hand and I'll get us out of here," he whispered harshly.

Jessica gave him a strange look, not convinced in the slightest that his hand would remove her from danger.

"Baby we don't have time, _give me your hand_," he said in a dramatic stage whisper shaking his hand aggressively at her.

Jessica's head snapped in the direction of the door when it began to shake violently and she instantly took his hand. Sirius wrapped his arms around her protectively, the bag securely placed on his shoulder.

The door flew open and there stood Voldemort's four ruthless Death Eaters looking livid.

* * *

Four hooded figures around with a small pop into Jessica's apartment. They looked around, sneering at the Muggle items.

"You two, search for Black, no doubt that blood traitor is here," Lucious Malfoy said pointing to Nott and Avery, "we'll look around for the Mudblood," he finished in a bored tone.

The two groups split, each thinking that they would come back to their Master victorious. They moved around the apartment for about five minutes, moving back to the middle of the living room, each empty handed.

Bellatrix moved her cold, black eyes over the apartment once again, before resting on the door to Jessica's bedroom.

"There," she said pointing to the wooden piece, "they're both in there, probably hiding and shaking in fear," she said with a satisfied and chilling voice, a wicked smirk present on her dark features,

They walked seamlessly and with purpose. All stopped at the sight of the door, turning their heads to smirk one last time at the simplicity of this assignment and the rewards they would receive from their Dark Lord.

Bellatrix reached her hand out and turned the doorknob softly, pushing the door with minimum strength, but to her annoyance the door didn't budge. She began to shake the door and turn the knob aggressively.

Finally fed up with the accursed door, she pointed her wand at the door, cast the Blasting Curse, making the door shoot from its hinges and making tiny wood splinters fly everywhere.

She stepped inside of the room, the other Death Eaters close behind her, her wand raised ready to kill whoever stood in her way. But she was sorely disappointed when she saw the figure of her cousin, his arm wrapped tightly around her Master's property. She moved to rip the girl from his clutches only to watch as they disappeared with a significant pop.

Bellatrix let out a howl of rage, pissed that her traitorous cousin had foiled her Master's plans.

* * *

Jessica closed her eyes tightly as she felt a tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach. She clutched to the dark haired man, fearing that he might let go and she'd be lost forever. And just as soon as the feeling came it ended, and she felt the solid ground beneath her feet.

Although she was sure she was back on land she continued to hold onto the gray-eyed man tightly, afraid that if she did she would fall.

Sirius held onto her tightly, feeling her fear. He began to make soothing sounds, hoping to ease her troubles. Sirius smiled in satisfaction as he felt her grip loosen and her breathing begin to return to normal.

He swung her effortlessly into his strong and muscular arms, knowing the effects that Apparition had on a person. He walked her slowly to the entrance of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

Just as he was about to open the door, Dumbledore opened it fully clad in a set of midnight blue robes with tiny twinkling white stars revolving around. Sirius bit back the smile that threatened to spill forward at his mentor's apparel, but he couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the pair of matching slippers.

"Wow, that's an outfit," Sirius heard Jessica breath out wondrously making both wizards chuckle soundly.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled gloriously as he whispered the location of the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters to Jessica, making sure she remembered, before the three adults moved into dingy hall of Sirius' childhood home.

* * *

The foursome Apparated back to the graveyard awaiting the arrival of their Master, they looked around apprehensively dreading his return.

They moved to their respective spots within the Circlet of Death, heads hung low. The crack that resounded through the desolate and quiet graveyard signaled the arrival of the Dark Lord.

* * *

Sirius carried Jessica into the kitchen, followed closely by Dumbledore. The two sat around the wooden table, facing each other.

Sirius looked down to Jessica locking eyes with her. She smiled nervously at him while snuggling closer to him.

Sirius closed his eyes in bliss, momentarily forgetting that they weren't alone. It wasn't until he heard a small cough that he opened his eyes to meet the amused and sparkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore held Sirius' eyes giving him an 'I told you so' look. Sirius tried to ignore the look but he felt his face begin to heat. So he opened his mouth instead to tell the tale that brought the two to Twelve Grimmauld Place at such an early hour.

"Albus, we were attacked by four Death Eaters. I caught a glimpse of all of there faces, before I Apparated us here. Voldemort sent Avery, Nott, Malfoy, and that she-bitch cousin of mine Bellatrix," he said with pure malice in his voice.

Jessica sat in a completely stunned silence as the strange words floated around and flew straight over her head. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to make sense of the words he spoke, but nothing but confusion came to mind.

"Well it's a good thing you got her out when you did," Dumbledore said sighing gratefully, "Who knows what would have happened had she been taken to Voldemort," he said his eyes dulling a bit at the thought.

"But tonight, or rather this morning, is not the time to discuss this. You should get her to bed Sirius. I daresay there is room for her in your bed," he said his eyes twinkling merrily again.

Sirius faced turned slightly pink from embarrassment, while his mind wondered if Dumbledore was aware of the extra activities he carried out with Jessica every night.

"Yeah, don't worry I'll make room for her," Sirius said bidding Dumbledore farewell.

Sirius walked slowly and soundlessly up the creaky stairs of Twelve Grimmauld Place to the room he had called his for a number of years. He walked through the door, glad that Mrs. Weasley had forced him to tidy the room a few days ago. He laid Jessica on the bed, trying not to disturb or startle her in any way.

He climbed into the bed gradually and pulled her into his arms, placing a few gentle kisses on her face and neck.

Jessica looked at him through confused eyes before asking the one question that had burned through her mind for the last few months.

"Who are you?"

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Okay so tell me how bad the grammar was or if it was alright. I beta-read it myself this time, because I wanted to get it out. So tell me what you think, if I should wait for my actual beta-reader next time and if I should repost this.**


	11. Late Nights: Part II

**AN: Okay you all know the drill I own nothing but the plot and the characters you don't recognize.**

**Okay so as I was going over this and adding a few things I scared the crap out of myself, because I hit a button and it brought up a new document and I thought that I had deleted everything I had written. I was so scared, but luckily it was just a new blank document and this was still here, fully written.**

**Okay, please REVIEW, because if no one is interested I'm not going to keep writing it because I don't have as much time as I used to it and it's becoming very hard to keep writing and updating, but I keep doing it, because I think people are interested, but I only know if people are interested from the reviews. SO please REVIEW! Sorry if I ranted. But please REVIEW!**

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Chapter 11—Late Nights Part II**

_I'm not afraid of anything  
I just need to know that I can breathe  
I don't need much of anything  
But suddenly, suddenly_

_I am small and the world is big  
All around me is fast moving  
Surrounded by so many things  
But suddenly, suddenly_

_How does it feel, to be different from me?  
Are we the same?  
How does it feel, to be different from me?  
Are we the same?  
How does it feel?_

Voldemort paced before his Death Eaters, a cold sneer present on his face. He dared any one of them to lift their heads and meet his eyes.

"So," he said looking at each bowed head, "The four of you felt that I wasn't serious about the last order I gave to you. Is that the reason you decided to come back empty handed? You felt that I was _joking_," he asked with a chilling politeness.

Nott foolishly raised his head and tried to speak, but an angry "_Crucio,_" spilled from Voldemort's mouth.

Nott withered on the ground screaming in an agonizingly pained voice, but Voldemort paid him no heed.

"Obviously the four of you don't feel the need to adhere to my instructions," Voldemort said in an angry voice, "And these are the things that happen to those who disobey Lord Voldemort."

Voldemort lifted the curse from Nott's body, which continued to twitch on the ground, only to move the curse to Bellatrix. Her screams flew from her mouth unceremoniously, "How you disappoint me Bella, how you disappoint me," Voldemort said icily.

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Sirius looked at her softly allowing his eyes to roam over her sleepy face and disheveled hair. He ran his fingers through her cool silky hair, before moving his face towards hers slowly. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before finally answering.

"I'm Sirius, love, and I'm someone who will protect you from anything and I'm never going to let anyone hurt you, because I care very deeply for you. Okay...Love…Jessica, do you understand that?" he whispered to her moving his fingers tantalizingly over her cheeks, eyes, and lips.

Jessica laid in his arms listening to his words, which seemed to put her in a trance. No man had ever been so caring, so loving towards her; it made her wonder if this entire experience was real or a dream. She decided to go with the latter.

Sirius watched her face closely, looking for any sign of acceptance to the words he had given her. He bent his head swiftly down to hers, deciding to instead show her the feelings he held for her.

Sirius brushed his lips enticingly over hers, giving only enough to induce her craving.

Jessica felt herself being pulled into the kiss. She didn't know whether any of the things happening to her were real, including the man kissing her with a new found zeal. But at the moment she didn't care, she only knew that she wanted more, more kisses, more skin, more contact, more love. She just wanted more.

But as Jessica found her mind getting hazy from all of Sirius' heated kisses a murky thought formed in her mind, _Sirius…what happened to my dog?_

"Wait…sto-stop," she spoke weakly.

"What's wrong love," Sirius asked heavily.

"What happened to my dog? Did those people do something to him? We have to go find him?" she said moving hastily from the bed.

Sirius' lips formed a small smile before he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him in the bed.

Jessica cried out as she fell onto Sirius' hard chest. She struggled with him as his arms wrapped around her waist in a strong hold. He kissed her protesting mouth passionately.

Jessica felt herself being drawn into the kiss, her hands moved into his dark hair against her will. She tried to resist but he was too strong, too passionate, and too skillful.

Sirius eased his tongue into her mouth with unhidden enthusiasm. He felt high. Tonight was the night that he had longed for since he had first kissed her. She was kissing him willingly and without the aid of a spell or lies. She was kissing him because she wanted to, because she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He felt liberated and turned on.

Jessica moaned into the kiss as she felt his warm tongue rub against hers in a way that only he could. She pushed her body harder into his earning a rugged groan from the man beneath her.

Sirius flipped Jessica onto her back, trapping her hands in one of his. He ground his lower body into hers, making her moan with pleasure.

He lifted his head to study her face. He moved his hand over her eyes, cheeks, and lips; kissing each one chastely.

Jessica opened her eyes meeting the gray eyes of her passionate lover. He leaned his head down kissing her lips softly.

"This is real, isn't it, I'm not dreaming?" she asked softly, realization striking her suddenly.

Sirius cupped her face tenderly, before nodding, "Yes, this is real," he said softly while kissing her lips again. Jessica made no move to stop him, which surprised him greatly. He had half expected her to push him away and tell him to go screw himself. He grinned happily as he moved to kiss her lips once more, but it immediately slid from his face when Jessica turned her face preventing him from doing so.

"What's wrong love?" he asked moving her face so he could look into her dark eyes.

"What happened to my dog?" she asked worriedly.

Sirius smiled at her innocence before lifting his body from hers to stand. Jessica's eyes followed him and she watched him curiously.

"Your dog is just fine," he whispered before taking the form of Padfoot.

Jessica gasped as she watched his limbs take the shape of the large, shaggy dog she had been housing for the last six months.

"Oh my God," she breathed out with astonishment sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Sirius morphed back into his human form and moved to sit on the bed beside Jessica. She looked at him with amazement, "How?"

Sirius took Jessica's hand in his gently and kissed it tenderly. "Jessica, I'm an Animagus, which means that I can transform into an animal of my choice at will," he said while continuing to place small kisses on her fingertips.

"What? So can you change into only one animal or…?"

"Yes only one," he said moving his face to her neck and placing a sweet kisses there.

"And," Jessica breathed out raggedly, "what about those dreams?" she breathed out as she felt desire begin to flood her senses once more.

Sirius pulled his face from her neck with a small blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Well…um" Sirius began nervously, "…you see I preformed a tiny…really insignificant spell…that…"

Jessica strained her ears to hear him, because he had mumbled the last part so quietly that she couldn't hear what he had said.

"What," Jessica said placing one finger under his chin and lifting his face so she could look into his eyes.

Sirius sighed heavily as he starred into her bright brown eyes, "I preformed a spell that made you believe that you were dreaming, but in reality it was actually happening…it wasn't a dream," he said preparing himself for the ear lashing that was bound to happen.

Jessica's face immediately fell into a frown. "So…you lied to me," she said looking deep into his gray eyes with noticeable hurt.

"No, love, I just…well yes…I guess I did lie to you, but…I just wanted…I just needed…I couldn't and still can't help the feelings that I feel for you. Please don't be mad, baby I…just please don't be mad at me," Sirius said pulling her into his lap and placing fervent kisses wherever his lips could reach.

Jessica remained quiet throughout his entire speech and let him kiss her without protest. Sirius grabbed her face in his hands making her look into his eyes.

"Why?" she asked him simply looking deeply into his eyes.

"Because you…there is just something about you that…well it shattered all of my self-control, but Jessica, I promise if you allow me I will make it up to you. I'll do whatever it takes to make you forgive me, whatever you want," he said pleadingly.

"Why?" she asked callously, "You deceived me. You basically forced me against my will. Why? Why should I believe you now? Why should I give you a second chance?"

Sirius winced at her icily calm tone and the questions she spat at him.

"Because…because I care for you," he said softly.

"I don't believe you," she said beginning to remove herself from his lap.

"I do, love. I really do…no please let me finished," he begged when she moved to interrupt him.

"Jessica," he whispered, "for the past few months I've watched you and I've grown so attached to you. I care so deeply for you, please don't walk away from me, please don't leave me, forgive me. I'll make it up to you. I swear, because I…I lo…" his voice fell so that she could no longer hear him and his face fell so that she could no longer see his eyes.

Jessica felt her stomach flutter when his mouth formed the words she had longed to hear from her mysterious and handsome dream man.

She was about to allow herself to fall into the blissfulness of his arms, but stopped once she realized that his voice trailed off and she had no guarantee that the words she wanted to hear were about to leave his mouth.

She looked at him long and hard before opening her mouth to quell her heart of its questions and fears.

"You what?" Jessica asked urgently. "You what Sirius…tell me," she said softly bending her head so that she could look into his eyes. "Tell me Sirius," she whispered to him.

Sirius laid his forehead onto hers breathing in her familiar scent. "Jessica, baby, I…I love you. I'm in love with you. I can't deny it anymore. I love you," he said avidly.

Jessica looked at him with astonishment watching him for any signs of deception. She starred deep into his cool eyes as a barely traceable smile graced her lips.

Sirius immediately regretted saying the words when he saw the surprised look on Jessica's face. For the first time in years Sirius Black threw caution (**AN: emotionally, not adventurously**) aside and let his heart speak words that would never have been divulged to another woman. He knew he had taken a great risk and now he was about to be paid for it in full with rejection.

Sirius was pulled from his musings when he felt Jessica's arm wrap securely around his neck.

"Oh Sirius," she said throwing her arms around his neck and holding him to her tightly. "I love you too," she whispered in his ear while laying her head in the crook of his neck.

Sirius felt his stomach flip and his heart lighten at the confession. He moved his body so he could gently place her onto the bed.

Jessica looked up at him through thick eyelashes smiling shyly as he climbed cautiously onto her petite body. He kissed her lips with unrefined passion while moving his hands slowly and tantalizingly over her smooth body.

Jessica gasped excitedly as his hands skimmed the sides of her breast allowing Sirius to deepen the kiss further. He gradually began to trail kisses down her neck and to her exposed collarbone. Sirius slowly unbuttoned Jessica's shirt while placing slow, sensual kisses on each piece of newly exposed skin.

Sirius starred heatedly at Jessica's heaving chest. His eyes racked over the rich, royal violet, lacy demi-cut bra that clung onto her body. Sirius slid his hands over her breast to the two thin straps and he slid the straps from her shoulders. He placed tender kisses on her shoulders.

Jessica's eyes fluttered closed as she felt the warm kisses on her already hot skin. Her breath hitched as she felt Sirius wet tongue glide smoothly up her stomach and over ample breast. He then blew softly on the damp skin making Jessica shiver and her body lift upwards.

Sirius moved his lips back to Jessica's, kissing her with fury. Jessica felt herself being engulfed in the raw fervor of his powerful kiss. Her hands found their way into his hair; her fingers rubbed his scalp demandingly.

Sirius hands traveled to her denim blue jeans and his fingers skillfully undid the button and slid the zipper down. He slowly began to peel the skin-tight jeans from her body.

Jessica ripped her mouth from Sirius' and she spoke breathily, "Wait," she said watching him with passion filled eyes. "I don't want to do this tonight," she said while scooting her body from underneath his and into a sitting position at the top of the bed.

Sirius stifled a groan when he heard those simple words, but he nodded his head assuring Jessica that they would not go any further.

"Come on love it's getting late and we should get to sleep, because we have a lot of work to do when we wake up," Sirius said as he moved his body into a laying position. Jessica eagerly moved her body towards the dark haired wizard. She placed her head in the crook of his neck, laid her hand lightly over his chest, and slowly drifted off into a content sleep.

Sirius watched Jessica sleep for a few minutes before he sank into a peaceful sleep; filled with the sleeping brunette in his arms.

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Okay, please REVIEW, because if no one is interested I'm not going to keep writing it because I don't have as much time as I used to it and it's becoming very hard to keep writing and updating, but I keep doing it, because I think people are interested, but I only know if people are interested from the reviews. SO please REVIEW! Sorry if I ranted. But please REVIEW! (I know I said this in the beginning, but it never hurts to repeat a few things).**

**Please REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	12. Somewhere Only We Know

**AN: I own nothing but the characters you don't recognize and the plot. Please read and REVIEW!**

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Chapter 12—Somewhere Only We Know**

_I walked across an empty land  
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand  
I felt the earth beneath my feet  
Sat by the river and it made me complete  
Oh simple thing where have you gone  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

_And if you have a minute why don't we go  
Talk about it somewhere only we know?  
This could be the end of everything  
So why don't we go  
Somewhere only we know?_

Jessica stretched her body out richly on her nice satin bed sheets making a soft moan of comfort. She plopped back down exhaustedly and turned her head to her smooth sapphire pillow cover. Jessica fell from the bed in shock as she noticed the sleeping man beside her.

She groaned as pain flew through her back. She laid her head down on the dingy carpet and sighed. Jessica's eyes moved around her surroundings and her mouth fell in shock as she noticed nothing was the way she left it the previous night.

She looked at the bed and noticed that it was not covered in a satin sapphire blue comforter and white sheets, but the comforter was an unfathomable black with deep midnight blue sheets and each item was made of fine silk.

The carpet that her head rested on was dirty and a grotesque faded red, a stark contrast from the pure white carpet that lay on her bedroom floor.

Jessica lay on the unclean floor trying to assess her situation. She tried to think of what she did the previous night that could have brought her to such a strange and unidentifiable place. But the only thing that came to mind was a wacky dream that consisted of a door being blasted open, an old man dressed in ridiculous pajamas, and her dog actually being a man who was deeply in love with her. Jessica laughed at the ridiculousness of her dream but she immediately slapped her hands to her mouth when the stranger on the bed called her name.

"Jessica, where are you love?" he called with a deep yawn.

Jessica lay on the ground still as a board with her eyes shut tightly, hoping to keep attention from herself.

"Baby what are you doing down there?" Sirius asked chuckling at her.

Jessica opened her eyes and stared at him in disbelief. There, a few inches above her, leaned a man with gorgeous grey eyes and sexy bed-hair, not just any man though, but the leading man from her dreams.

Sirius held a hand out to Jessica in offering. He frowned when she looked at it blankly. "Come on love, come back to bed," Sirius said running his hand down her stationary arm and taking her rigid hand while wrapping his other arm around her waist. He pulled Jessica into the bed with minimum effort and tried to snuggle with her.

Sirius looked at Jessica with a small frown on his face. "Darling what's wrong?" he asked while stroking her cheek softly.

"Man I must have gotten thoroughly wasted last night, which is…well just plain impossible because I don't drink," Jessica whispered silently, completely ignoring the wizard who lay beside her.

"Jessica," Sirius said sternly, "you didn't get drunk and this isn't a dream," he said with seriousness, "you and I are…well we are together. And everything will be explained to you today, once we get out of bed and have some breakfast, which we will have in here."

'_That way I can make sure she doesn't see any unnecessary magic.'_

"Bossy little bastard, aren't you?" Jessica asked him with scowl.

Sirius chuckled softly, "I just don't want to scare you away love," he said while dipping his head down to meet her lips tenderly, "I just want you here, with me."

"Scare me huh? You don't seem very scary," she said beginning to feel more comfortable with the dark haired man holding her.

"Hmm well I can be very scary when I want to be," Sirius whispered throatily in her ear, earning a shiver from the witch beside him.

Sirius kissed Jessica softly, barely brushing his lips against hers. Their months together had taught him the exact way to push her into overdrive. Sirius slowly began to add pressure and intensity to the kiss, making Jessica melt against him.

He rolled his body onto hers and slowly rubbed his hips into Jessica's, making her moan in desire. Sirius then ground his hips into hers harder receiving a gasp from Jessica. He repeated this gesture, but stopped abruptly when he heard an explosion come from behind him.

Jessica looked over Sirius' shoulder to see that there were shards of glass over the ground in an assortment of sizes and colors.

Sirius rolled off of Jessica onto the bed. He propped himself onto his elbows and surveyed the mess that lay before him and then looked at Jessica with wonder.

"What?" Jessica asked clueless.

"Nothing love, but maybe, and this is just a suggestion, but maybe we should learn how to control our emotions. But I understand that it's hard love because I know I have that effect on you," he said with a cocky smile before leaning in and kissing her tenderly on the mouth.

"What are you talking about, what do my emotions have to do with the crap in your room spontaneously combusting?" she asked with conjecture, "And who says that you have any sort of effect on me?" Jessica asked with playfulness.

"Well," Sirius said leaning his body on top of Jessica's, "the first question I will answer later, but the second question I can prove right here and now," he said placing his lips onto her neck.

Sirius slowly dragged his lips and teeth down the length of Jessica's neck leaving red blotches over her caramel skin. Sirius hands went to remove her shirt, which was actually his shirt, when the door swung open.

"Hey Sirius, mum wants to know if…"

Sirius' head snapped from Jessica's throat to the sight of the red faced Ron Weasley.

"Oh, uh…uh sorry Sirius, mate…I didn't know you had someone—"

"Goodbye Ron."

"Uh…right."

Sirius looked at Ron expectantly, "Is there anything else you need Ron?" Sirius asked Ron through clenched teeth.

"Mum says breakfast is ready," he said before walking out of the door, leaving it wide open.

Sirius grabbed his wand from the bedside table and closed the door with a small click before turning his eyes back to Jessica, who stared at him slacked jaw.

"What?"

"What is th—"

"It's my wand."

"Wand?"

"Yes, wand."

"What does this 'wand' do?" she asked making air quotes with her hand.

"Anything…within reason."

"So this whole wiz—"

"Yes I'm really a wizard and no, yesterday was not a dream," Sirius said with impatience.

"Did I ask you if yesterday was a dream?" Jessica snapped.

"No, but you were about to."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"Who are you? Freakin' Houdini?"

"Who's Houdini?" Sirius asked with ignorance and a blank face.

"He's a magician."

"Oh, but he couldn't do real magic, could he?" Sirius asked with superiority in his voice.

"No but that's besides the point."

"Well what's the point?"

"The point is…."

But Jessica never got to finish her statement, for at that exact moment her stomach growled loudly.

"The point is you're hungry," Sirius said laughing.

Jessica marveled at how Sirius' laugh mimicked the bark of the dog he had masqueraded as.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat," Sirius said rising slowly from the bed.

"Wait, I though we were eating in here…you know, something about keeping me hostage," Jessica said mockingly.

"We are, so you stay here and I'll go get some food for us to eat," Sirius said placing a light kiss on Jessica's lips.

"But you said—"

Once again Sirius' lips stopped her statement.

"I know what I said, I made a mistake, and right now I'm correcting it," Sirius said against her lips.

"I'll be right back," he said pulling away. Sirius walked from the room and shut the door behind him quietly.

Sirius walked into the kitchen to the sounds of catcalls. He turned his eyes to the Weasley twins with a raised eyebrow, before narrowing his eyes at the youngest Weasley male, making his face redden in response.

"Quiet down you two," Mrs. Weasley said chastising her sons. "Sirius where's your guest?" she asked in a soft motherly tone.

Sirius shot Ron a glare before answering the aging woman before him, "She's waiting for me to bring her breakfast. We're eating in my room," he said while moving towards the kitchen table.

"But do you really think it's best for the two of you to eat upstairs. There's plenty of room for you two down here," Molly said in a mollycoddling voice.

"Yes I do believe it's best for the two of us to eat upstairs," Sirius said in a defensive voice. "Jessica is just beginning to come to terms with the fact that magic actual exists in the world, and I don't want her to get too exposed to magic too soon. It might scare her away and I don't want that.

"Molly there is no need for you to worry about her. She's been left in my care and I'll determine what's best for her," he said before levitating plates of food and pitchers of juice with his wand.

Molly snorted unattractively, "Isn't that exposing her to magic," she said icily.

Sirius' body stiffened in response but he chose to ignore the comment made by the Weasley matriarch. He walked out of the kitchen in an irate huff with piles of food leading the way back to his room.

Jessica smiled when she saw the door open, but her smile was immediately replaced with a look of surprise.

"So that wand thing actually works."

"Yep the wand thing actually works," he replied with an amused expression and tone, forgetting the disagreement he just had with Mrs. Weasley.

Sirius placed the food on the bed and climbed in while pulling Jessica into his lap. Jessica looked back at Sirius with narrowed eyes, "What ever gave you the idea that I wanted to sit in your lap?" she asked trying to fight the smile from making its way onto her face.

"It was my idea, love, don't act like it wasn't a good one because I know you like being here, snuggled up against me," he whispered cockily in her ear.

Jessica shivered despite herself, while letting the smile spill forth. "Anyway," she said changing the topic, "what do we have here?"

Sirius grinned cheekily and placed a chaste kiss on her neck before answering, "We have pancakes, waffles, biscuits, sausage, bacon, eggs, French toast, and some fruit."

"Goodness that's a lot of food," she said with awe in her voice.

"Yes, well, Mrs. Weasley cooks enough food for an army," he said placing a kiss on her neck, "literally."

"What's that sup—" Jessica began to ask.

"Later, I promise," Sirius replied handing her a plate stacked with delectable food.

Jessica looked back at Sirius and smiled softly before grabbing the plate of food.

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Please REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**Chapter 13 is done and that's where you learn what Jessica can do magically. So please review so my life won't seem so crappy (it really is crappy, it's just chalked full of sht).**


	13. Prowess: Say Goodbye

**AN: I only own the things you don't recognize, other than that it's all JK's. I updated fast (YAY! me). Happy Vet's day. Oh and please REVIEW!

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**Chapter 13—Prowess (Say Goodbye)**

_I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness  
And all the real people are really not real at all  
The more I learn the more I cry  
As I say goodbye to the way of life  
I thought I had designed for me_

Sirius, with his hand placed on her lower back, lead Jessica into the dank kitchen of Grimmauld Place. She looked around shyly, biting her lip, as everyone greeted her kindly.

Sirius sat down across from Remus and pulled Jessica down in the seat next to him. Remus handed Sirius and Jessica a Butterbeer before returning to his own. Sirius took a slow sip while watching Jessica with soft eyes.

Jessica looked at Remus through suspicious eyes, "Hey, don't I know you?" she asked.

"Well, I do believe we met once but—"

"Oh, you're Will's friend, the gay one! Not that there aren't a lot of gay ones."

Sirius spat out the Butterbeer he had been nursing and laughed his usual dog-like laughter.

"No, I'm not gay but, yes, I am Will's friend," Remus said blushing slightly.

"You know you broke his heart," she said with amusement.

"We just had a misunderstanding."

"I was left to pick up the pieces, wipe the tears, and watch the Cher concerts over and over again."

Sirius lounged his arm on the back of Jessica's chair and watched the entire scene with amusement.

"Yes, well," he said clearing his throat, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Are you now?" Jessica asked with dancing eyes.

But Remus' reply was cut off by the arrival of Albus Dumbledore. Jessica's eyes traveled over his apparel and she smiled at his eclectic style.

Dumbledore eyes swept over the present Order members. His crystal blue eyes met the dark brown ones of Jessica and she smiled widely at him, faintly remembering him from the night before (well she mainly remembered the outfit).

The aging wizard cleared his throat before moving to speak.

"I would like to brief everyone on the special circumstances that has brought Miss. Huxtable here to us tonight," he said sweeping his eyes once more over the young woman.

"Last night, or rather in the early morning of today, Jessica and Sirius were attacked by Avery, Nott, Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix, four very well known Death Eaters. As you all know Death Eaters are the followers of Voldemort," Dumbledore said, merely for Jessica's benefit.

As Dumbledore talked Jessica's face scrunched into one of confusion. The name Voldemort swirled through her head, making her wonder just who this man was. She couldn't help but think that he couldn't be a very good man. Because what honest and decent person would name their followers Death Eaters? None, she answered for herself.

As Jessica pondered this, another thought popped into her mind. Why did Voldemort send his followers to attack her? Had she done something offensive? Or were they simply after Sirius and she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time?

'_But since it was my apartment how could I be in the wrong place?'_ she questioned herself.

Her mind then shifted to Sirius and how the idea that the Death Eaters may have been after him. This thought did nothing to comfort or ease her. It only made her face fade from one of confusion to one of worry and alarm for both her and Sirius' safety. Her eyes shifted from the wall behind Remus' head and to the ebony haired, grey eyed man beside her.

Sirius watched Jessica's emotion splay across her face. Silently he inched his body closer to hers to give her extra support. Their eyes met and Sirius was taken aback at the abundant amount of worry etched into her eyes.

He moved his arm from the back of her chair to place his hand on her back. He rubbed soothing, concentric circles on the small of her back, while his eyes silently told her to stay calm and not worry, because he would take care of her. He eyes silently told her he would protect her.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, discreetly, breaking the two's eye contact.

"This concludes our meeting tonight. Sirius, if I could see you and Miss. Huxtable for a moment in the library," Dumbledore said making his way for the kitchen door.

Sirius grabbed Jessica's hand and led her in the direction that Dumbledore had just taken. Jessica followed Sirius blindly and soon found herself in the largest home library she had ever seen.

Dumbledore stood in the center of the library, watching as Sirius and Jessica took a seat on the loveseat. His lips twitched into a smile as he watched the Animagus place a protective arm around her waist, drawing her close to him.

"Well Miss. Huxtable, I do not believe we have been formally introduced. My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said with flourish while smiling at her.

"Uh…Hog who?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Hogwarts, it is a place for magical students to learn how to perform magic correctly."

"Right."

"I am also the founder of a special group called the Order of the Phoenix. The people you have met inside are all apart of this group. The group formed to battle the growing darkness that Voldemort has been spreading."

"Who's Vold-ee-mort?" she asked looking from Dumbledore to Sirius.

"Voldemort is a Dark Wizard who wishes to purge the magical community of all those who do not fit his criteria of worthiness to practice magic. He deems pureblood, which is those who come from to people without any Muggle blood in their system, as worthy."

"What's a Muggle?" she asked with confusion.

"A Muggle is someone who has no magical blood in their veins. Voldemort views these people of being unworthy of life itself." Jessica stiffened at this and Sirius, who had remained silent and inconspicuous, instantly tightened his hold on her waist and pulled her body closer to his.

"He also does not think highly of half-bloods either, people who have a parent who is a Muggle and a parent who has magical abilities." Jessica nodded her head slowly, trying to process all of the information that moved around in her head.

But Dumbledore's voice pulled her from her musings and she noticed with that his voice had become bleaker, a fact that made her worry more.

"Now, my dear, I am sure you are wondering what all of this information has to do with you." Jessica nodded in affirmation.

"Well, it has come to my knowledge a few months ago that Voldemort had plans to use you in his next plow to gain ultimate power."

"But why me? I have no magical capabilities as you put it. I'm just a…a…what did you say it was, a Muggle?" she asked bewildered.

"My dear, you are quite mistaken. You are no mere Muggle. You are actually a powerful witch, one who holds special powers."

"But-"

"Let him explain love," Sirius whispered in her ear, sensing her frustration.

"You my dear are a Sha-adi, an extremely powerful line of people who are on the verge of extinction. The Sha-adi people are broken into three distinct power-lines: Formance, Museance, and Moleculance."

"What?" Jessica asked staring at him as if he had just muttered gibberish. Dumbledore simply chuckled at her startled look.

"Now those who possess the gift of Formance are able to change their appearance at their will and make their image disappear from the human eye, which means they are able to become invisible at will. Those with the gift of Museance have an unsettling talent at dancing and singing."

"So then I must have Museance or whatever because that's what I do, well for fun anyways. I dance and sing. And I've been told that I am scarily good at both." She said with pride in her voice.

"Let me finish," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "And finally those with the gift of Moleculance possess the gift of wielding molecules."

"So which do I possess?" she asked although she was sure she already knew. Jessica was almost certain that she had the gift of Museance.

"You, my dear, possess all three attributes," Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes.

"What? How is that-"

"Jessica you possess all three because you are destined to repopulate and rule the Sha-adi people." Jessica looked at Dumbledore incredulously before her mouth began a tirade.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, since when did this magic thing have me popping out children like a log cabin ride," she asked outraged, "I can just see it now, all those stretch marks and all these kids yelling mommy this and mommy that. I mean I want kids but not a whole populace of children." She cried standing to her feet.

"Love, calm down, Albus isn't asking you to have thirty kids right now; he's just saying that you're going to have children in the future." Sirius said grabbing Jessica's arm and pulling her back onto the couch.

Jessica sat on the couch with Sirius, his arm placed snuggly around her waist once more, with a sour expression on her face.

"So how does all of this involve that Voldemort guy or whatever the hell his name is?" she asked grumpily.

"Well, Jessica, whoever marries you has access to your powers, all of them. This is how Voldemort plans to use you. He plans to marry you to gain your powers. Your powers would make him all-powerful."

Jessica shook her head violently from side to side and looked to Sirius for some form of reassurance. Reassurance that the wizard they spoke about would not get to her and force her into an unstable and unsafe marriage. Sirius pulled the frightened witch further into his embrace and kissed her temple lovingly, telling her he would take care of her.

Dumbledore paused here, wondering if he should continue with his other speculation concerning Voldemort's regards toward the young witch before him.

"It is also my theory that Voldemort wishes for the two of you to repopulate the Sha-adi lineage. So, not only will he have access to your powers, but he will also have an entire populous at his disposal."

Jessica shuddered involuntarily and Sirius gripped her tighter. He sent Dumbledore a warning look, one that said to back off and leave her alone.

"There are only a few more things we need to discuss and then you two may go." Sirius almost growled in frustration when he heard Dumbledore utter those words.

'_Let her alone Albus,'_ he thought angrily.

"Jessica, you can not wield the magic of a wand, that is you can not work a wand." Jessica nodded dully at this. Her eyelids felt heavy and she just wanted to go to her bedroom, lie in her bed, and sleep the rest of the day away.

"It is also imperative that you do not let your magic control you. Do not let the power corrupt you," Dumbledore said gravely making Jessica look at him with confused eyes.

"In the past, rulers of the Sha-adi people let their magic corrupt and control her, for all Sha-adi rulers are female. This corruption has led to the near extinction of the Sha-adi people." Dumbledore stated grimly.

"How?"

"The rulers ended up destroying their people. You see each gift comes with its own qualities and limitations. Formancer's are able to change their appearance and create force fields to protect themselves and others but they are only able to wield an appearance for a particular amount of time. The same goes for the force field.

"Museancer's of course have the gift of dance and song which allows them to seduce and put men into a trance. This can never be switched off, so whether you mean to or not you will always seduce the males watching and only the males. But it does not work on males who are already in love."

"So no matter if I'm just practicing I'll still make these men…uh…want me?" She asked trying to sort everything out in her mind.

"Yes. Now, Moleculancer's can wield molecules, meaning they can destroy them or stop them; think of it as stopping the time of the object. They are also able to bend the molecules of their body, enabling them move from one place from another in a ball of brilliant light. They can never stop time of the entire universe and only with practice will the person be able to control more than one molecular mass at a time.

"And each performance of magic drains the Sha-adi. Therefore, too much magic in one day can kill the Sha-adi. Only with practice and inner-strength can the Sha-adi perform a maximum of magic without destroying herself.

"Many Sha-adi rulers have not only destroyed their people, but they have also destroyed themselves."

"How do they destroy themselves?" Jessica asked wearily.

"It involves the Moleculance magic. The Sha-adi destroys the molecules that make up their own body. She continues to break her body down until all that is left is a fine mist, and the mist explodes into nothingness. She disintegrates herself."

Jessica's eyes widened in fear and shock, the thought of disintegrating herself made her want to go back. Go back to a time when there was no such thing as magic. Go back to a time when the only magic that existed was love, dancing, and singing. She just wanted to go back.

"This is why it is imperative that you learn to control your magic and not vice versa. If you let the magic control you it will end in your demise and demise of all man-kind." Dumbledore said bleakly.

* * *

**Please REVIEW! Just click the blue-ish button and write some words and hit the blue-ish summit button. It's as easy as 1-2-3. Again I beg you to REVIEW! Chapter 14 is making good progress. Thanks for all of the patience, I appreciate it.**

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	14. Song Beneath the Song

**AN: I own nothing but the plot and the characters you don't recognize. Please REVIEW!!!**

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* * *

Chapter 14—Song Beneath the Song**

_Life is not what I thought it was  
Twenty-four hours ago  
Still I'm singing 'Spirit,  
take me up in arms with You'  
And I'm not who I thought I was  
Twenty-four hours ago  
Still I'm singing 'Spirit,  
take me up in arms with You'_

_See, I'm not copping out  
Not copping out  
Not copping out  
When you're raising the dead in me_

Jessica felt one tear slid down her face, followed by another and then another, until she was sobbing in Sirius' arms. She wrapped her arms around his torso and held onto his body tightly while muttering things under her breath.

Sirius held her body tight against his and rubbed her back soothingly. He rocked her body back and forth, while whispering words of encouragement into her ears. Sirius kissed Jessica's temple lovingly, giving her the extra support she needed.

"I can't do this," Jessica cried into his chest.

"You can," he whispered earnestly into her ear, "You can do this, love. I know it."

"I can't Sirius. I don't have the strength or will-power. I'm going to blow-up the entire world." She wailed.

"No, you are not going to blow up the world."

"I am. I am. I know it. And I can prove it. I remember when I was walking down the street and I just _happened_ to pass the Saks. And I swear I was just window shopping, but I went inside and I saw the cutest pair of Prada pumps and _I had to have them_." She said with wide, tearful eyes.

"They were the Láme Knot Pump…I mean Jersey láme ruched open toe pumps with knot detail on the vamp, with a four inch covered heal…and they were the last ones in my size, Sirius, I had to have them." Jessica said reciting the details of the shoe like it were the simplest definition in the world.

"But I didn't need them. I mean they were $495 and my rent was due in two weeks, which meant that I was about $525 short, which meant that I had to work a week in my friends bar singing, which was not fun."

"How much is your rent?" Sirius asked softly as to not upset her further.

"$2290, I live in the Upper West Side. I would never be able to afford it on my salary, but my parents pay half, so my half comes to $1145, which is a pain to come up with every month. But it's better than the full amount. My parents insisted that I live in either the Upper East or West Side, something about not getting murdered or robbed. So I really could not afford those shoes."

By this time Jessica's tears had subsided, but she continued to lay curled up in Sirius' strong arms.

"I'm an impulse shopper." Jessica said silently.

"Well your shopping habits and your magical capabilities are two very different things. And you had enough will power to find a way to get the rest of the money for your rent. So that lets me know that you can do this," Sirius declared, looking deep into Jessica's eyes, "You can do this."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. And the first way to make sure you can do it is by cutting the negativity act and start believing in yourself. I understand that you're afraid and I know that this is a lot for you to handle, but I need you to be strong." He said holding her firmly by the shoulders and looking intently into her eyes.

Jessica took a shuddering breath before nodding slowly. "Okay Sirius," she said weakly.

* * *

"Miss. Huxtable, there are a few more things we need to talk about, before your training can begin," Dumbledore said with a calming smile.

"Okay Mr. Dumb-le-dore," she said, her tongue tripping over his name.

"Please, call me Albus," he said chuckling.

"Alright," Jessica said smiling shyly.

"Now, Jessica there are a few things that I forgot to tell you last night. My old age is beginning to catch up to me," he said laughing lightly.

Jessica tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace, for she remembered the things he had told her the previous night and how those things had dramatically changed her life.

"There are two more powers, which are tied to one another, which I failed to mention to you. They are collected within the Museance and Moleculance power-lines."

Jessica closed her eyes in annoyance, "What if I don't want these other powers," she asked softly.

"My dear, one can not choose the powers they want or do not want," he said with tranquil blue eyes.

"Now I've already told you that when a Sha-adi Museance dances or sings, she puts men into a trance. Well this trance allows her to perform the Inanimé Respirer or the Baiser de mort. The Inanimé Respirer involves breathing a deathly breath into the man's open mouth. The breath then slowly pushes all of the air out of his lungs, which suffocates him. It is a slow and painful death. It is my understanding that Sha-adi's only use this form of magic when the man has committed a heinous crime against the Sha-adi or her people."

Jessica's eyes widened in alarm, but Dumbledore did not seem to notice her distress because he continued to speak.

"And the Baiser de mort is something like the Inanimé Respirer, but it is much quicker. The only difference is that the Sha-adi actually places a kiss on the man's lips. The kiss forces the air out of the man's lungs. He dies within seconds of the kiss."

Jessica sat on the couch with her mouth hanging wide open, she desperately wanted to cry, but she knew she had to remain strong; Sirius had asked her to.

"Sirius," she breathed out quietly. "So when we kiss there's a chance of him d-dying?" Jessica asked her voice catching.

"Only if you want him to die, these gifts are not active all the time. They can only be used when the Sha-adi wants to."

"So he won't die," she asked with hope.

"My dear, everyone dies. But he will not die at your hand, unless you want him to."

Jessica stood from the couch and made her way to the exit, but before she left she heard Dumbledore's voice call to her, "He loves you very much Miss. Huxtable and he can help you through this. You just have to give him your complete trust."

"He already has it," Jessica said before exiting the library quietly.

Jessica, about three steps outside of the library, turned sharply around and reentered the library.

"How do you know that it's me?" She blurted out, breathing harshly. This question had been burning within her mind since the "talk" yesterday evening.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly, for he had been expecting the question, "Because you have the mark of the Sha-adi ruler."

"What mark?"

"The mark on the right side of your stomach, it is what you believe is your birthmark. If memory serves me correct, it is in the shape of a crown and has a slight gold tint."

Tears welled into the corners of Jessica's eyes. It finally hit her.

'_This is real,'_ her consciousness whispered softly in her head.

* * *

"Okay Jessica, Remus, Harry, Ron, and I are going to start helping you train," Sirius said standing in front of her.

"Alright."

"First, we're going to practice Formance. We're going to focus on the force field and depending on how far we get will determine when we move onto shifting your appearance and when we practice invisibility."

"Okay," Jessica said taking a warrior stance, "I'm ready."

"We're going to throw objects at you, such as pillows, books, empty containers, knives, and I want you to stop them from hitting you by generating a force field. Ready?"

"No," Jessica said indignantly, "So, _you_ expect _me_ to let you throw random objects at me and just be okay with it?" she said talking slowly.

"Yes," the four men said in unity.

"Jessica, we're going to start off with the softest objects first and then move on to the more dangerous ones once you learn how to block the less deadly objects. It's safe, the four of us are all highly trained wizards—"

"Harry, Remus, and I are, but I'm not sure about Sirius," Ron said laughing at his own joke.

Jessica's eyes widened in apprehension after she heard Ron say this, Sirius turned to the redhead and gave him a deadly stare, while Harry smacked him on the back of his head.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Ron," Sirius said gritting his teeth, "Are you aware that we are training Jessica today?"

Ron nodded his head.

"And are you aware that she's already afraid, because she doesn't understand everything that's going on around her," Remus asked giving the redhead a disapproving look.

Again, Ron nodded his head.

"So, telling her that the person who is training her is unqualified would increase her fear, you arse," Harry said looking at his friend incredulously.

Ron's eyes widened in shock and he was amazed at his own stupidity. He immediately began to apologize.

"Jessica, I'm sorry. Sirius is very qualified, it was just a joke. I was only trying to lighten the mood." He said with red ears.

Jessica shook her head quickly and took a deep breath, before retaking her defensive stance.

"Okay love, just be on the lookout and be ready. We're going to circle you and the objects are going to come at different times and from different people," Sirius said stepping back from her as the others took points around her.

Harry, standing in back of her, took the first shot and made contact making Jessica wince. Ron then took his chance and was given the same reaction as Harry.

Remus looked at the brunette and viewed her as a student in class. He, having researched Sha-adi's, noticed the problem she was having right away and he knew the perfect way to correct it.

"Jessica, close your eyes and concentrate on stopping everything from touching you. Let your senses tell you where the attacks are coming from," Remus said, "Think of the objects as items that are trying to harm you. Either stop them or die."

"Okay," Jessica said taking his advice and shutting her eyes.

"Drown out all distractions and concentrate on stopping the spells, jinxes, and curses from hitting you," Sirius said taking over for Remus who prepared to magic the pillow at her right side, "Listen to the magic inside of you, it will show you what to do."

Remus sent the pillow at her with a small force and watched.

Jessica concentrated on her senses. And everything became silent around her. She listened to the air around her; she felt the air around her. Jessica felt something in her core, urging her and guiding her. She quickly turned to her right because her being guided her in that direction. She knew her intuition was correct because she felt a change of wind coming in that direction.

Jessica threw her hands up, palms outward, and felt a warmth rush from her palms. She opened her eyes in time to she the cushion collide with a silvery-blue wall. The wall looked extremely weak, almost as if it wasn't there at all. Jessica was sure that had Remus thrown the cushion any harder it would have torn right through and smacked her right in the face. But she continued to look in awe at the wall until it shimmered away, because she could no longer hold onto it. Jessica took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she felt a wave of exhaustion take over her.

Sirius, not seeing the fatigue in her face, rushed at Jessica and engulfed her into his arms, giving her a heated kiss in congratulations.

"I knew you could do it love," he whispered softly in her ear before lowering her to the ground and resuming his previous position. Sirius cleared his throat in embarrassment as Harry and Remus gave him an amused look. "Okay, we're going to try it a few more times and then we'll take a rest."

The quintet demonstrated the exercise a few more times, before deciding to call it a day. Jessica was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the practice, but she was proud that the force field was stronger than the first one she conjured, even if it was only by a small amount.

* * *

Jessica, aided by Sirius, climbed into bed. Her eyelids felt heavy and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them open.

"Don't go to sleep yet, love. You need to eat something, it will help you regain some energy," Sirius said fishing around in his drawer for the bit of chocolate he stole from Remus earlier in the week.

"Aha," he said with triumph, "Here baby, eat this until I come back with some food," he said handing her the mound of milk chocolate.

Jessica looked at the chocolate with lust, it had been two weeks since she had had some chocolate and she had been having major cravings.

She took a small bite of the chocolate and felt warmth rush through her body as the morsel touched her tongue. She moaned appreciatively.

Sirius turned his head back to Jessica as he heard the moan of pleasure come from her lips. "Are you cheating on me with a bar of chocolate?" he asked jokingly.

"I think I may be," she said weakly, although she sounded as if she was regaining some strength back.

"Well, I may just have to take that back from you," he said walking over to the bed.

"It'd be a fight to the death," she said munching away on the chocolate bar.

"Oh really?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Well then I guess it's good for you that you aren't feeling well or else I'd have to take you down," he said stroking her hair lightly, "I'll be back soon love, just don't go to sleep until you get some food in your system," he said placing a small kiss on her forehead before walking from the room.

Later on that evening, after she had a short nap, Sirius held Jessica in his arms tightly. She looked deep into his eyes, daring herself to speak her mind and ask her question.

"Sirius, what do you see in me?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"I don't know what I mean; I just want to know what you see in me, what you think of me. I guess I want to know why you love me," she said sighing.

"My life has changed so fast in the last forty-eight hours and I'm confused about so many things, about you, my powers, and everything the last two days has held. I just need to know something, anything. I've changed so much, I'm not who I once was. And I know I can't go back, so I need you to tell me, I need you to tell me who I am," she said staring at him with uncertainty.

Sirius stared at her through veiled gray eyes, contemplating her. It was true, she had changed, she was no longer the confident woman he had fallen for and instead she was this shy, lost girl.

"I love you," he began, not knowing exactly what to say to her. For the first time, words failed Sirius Black, and at the worst time possible.

"You…you're…you're Jessica. The woman I love. And yes you have changed, you've lost your poise, now you know your destiny and you're letting the fear of it cloud your vision. You're letting fear take your confidence." He said stroking her cheek with his palm.

"But you are still the girl who took me in all those months ago; you're still compassionate, kind, and caring. You're still funny and witty and a smart arse. You're still a gifted musician. And I know once you master your powers your confidence will return to you."

"I love you for everything you are. I love you because you're kind and compassionate, but I also love that you are selfish with your candy—"

"I'm not selfish; I just don't like to share."

"I love that you're in denial about being selfish with certain things, I love that you write, I love that you're stubborn, I love the fact that you're an impulsive shopper, I love the inventive ways you thought of to torture your boss."

"I never went through with it."

"I love that you never went through with it," he said causing her to laugh.

"I love your laugh. And I especially love your smile, it brightens up a room, and I love your eyes. They're a gorgeous and deep brown and I never fail to lose myself within them. In a nutshell I love you because you're you."

Jessica smiled appreciatively at Sirius. His words gave her the confidence to ask for something she had been wanting since this morning.

"Sirius," she said taking a deep breath, "Will you sing me a song?" she asked in a child-like voice, full of want.

"What?" Sirius asked completely floored.

"A song, sing me a song," she said innocently.

"Love, I don't sing." he said softly.

"Yes you do. I heard you this morning, while you were in the shower. You were singing the song from my journal. You sang:

_Everytime I feel alone  
I can blame it on you  
And I do, oh_

_You got me like a loaded gun  
Golden sun and sky so blue  
We both know that we want it  
But we both know you left me no choice_

_Chaque fois que tu t'en vas  
You just bring me down  
Je pretends que tout va bien  
So I'm counting the tears 'til I get over you,_" she said singing the last part to him softly, smiling.

Sirius smiled as he heard her sing, he then looked guilty for a moment, but the guilt was forgotten when she didn't tell him off for going through her personal things.

"What would I sing, I don't know what you want to hear," he said with uncertainty.

"Anything," she whispered.

Sirius stared at Jessica hard and long. He stared so long that she was sure he was going to deny her the request, but she was pleasantly surprised when she heard his baritone voice vibrate through her ears.

_Here it comes it's all blowing in tonight  
I woke up this morning to a blood red sky  
They're burning on the bridge turning off the lights  
We're on the run I can see it in your eyes  
If nothing is safe then I don't understand  
You call me your boy but I'm trying to be the man  
One more day and it's all slipping with the sand  
You touch my lips and grab the back of my hand  
The back of my hand_

Sirius paused here and stroked her cheek softly. He bent his head to hers and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. He stared at her intently before continuing with the song.

_Guess we both know we're in over our heads  
We got nowhere to go and no home that's left  
The water is rising on a river turning red  
It all might be ok or we might be dead  
If everything we've got is slipping away  
I meant what I said when I said until my dying day  
I'm holding on to you, holding onto me  
Maybe it's all gone black but you're all I see  
You're all I see _

Sirius ran his fingers over Jessica's face and he watched as her eyes fluttered shut. He pulled her body closer to his as the words continued to pour from his mouth.

_The walls are shaking, I hear them sound the alarm  
Glass is breaking so don't let go of my arm  
Grab your bags and a picture of where we met  
All that we'll leave behind and all that's left  
If everything we've got is blowing away  
We've got a rock and a rock till our dying day  
I'm holding on to you, holding on to me  
Maybe it's all we got but it's all I need  
You're all I need _

Jessica smiled beautifully at Sirius when she heard that. She whispered that he was all she needed before placing a chaste kiss to his exposed neck.

_And if all we've got is what no one can break  
I know I love you  
If that's all we can take  
The tears are coming down  
They're mixing with the rain  
I know I love you, if that's all we can take _

"I know I love you Sirius," he heard Jessica murmur tenderly against his neck. She then closed her eyes allowing sleep to finally overcome her.

Sirius heard Jessica's breath even out, a clear indication that the events of the day had caught her. He smiled at her small snores and this time he didn't bother using the Silencing Charm.

_  
A pool is running for miles on the concrete ground  
We're eight feet deep and the rain is still coming down  
The TV's playing it all out of town  
We're grabbing at the fray for something that won't drown_

Sirius placed a soft kiss on Jessica's forehead before drifting into a deep slumber.

* * *

"_Twenty Four," sang by Switchfoot on the 'The Beautiful Letdown,' album._

"_Till I Get Over You," sang by Michelle Branch on the 'Hotel Paper,' album._

"_All I Need," sang by Mat Kearney on the 'Nothing Left to Lose,' album._

**AN: So yes this chapter was major fluff but I was listening to all these mushy songs and it just ran forth. I hope it wasn't too gag me. But anyway please _REVIEW! _I feel that this chapter really shows what Jessica is thinking and feeling and how she's coping with everything. I hope you agree and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**ANN: SO while I was writing this chapter my sister called me and cussed me out. If it wasn't for two of the reviews I received that evening I don't think I would have had the will power to finish this chapter. So I want to thank _Scriblerian_ and _BlisfullyDizzyKidd_. Thanks a lot you two.**

**So please _REVIEW_, because they really give me an extra push and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**


	15. Wonderwall

**AN: I don't own anything, but the characters that you don't recognize. This is the last update until next year because I'm leaving for a place that has no internet. So Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year.

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**Chapter 15—Wonderwall**

_Can you save me from this world of mine  
Before I get myself arrested with this expectation  
You are the one look what you've done  
What have you done?  
This is not some kind of joke  
You're just a kid  
You weren't ready for what you did_

Jessica watched Tonks as if she had just grown a head, and this description was not far from the truth.

"How in the world?" Jessica asked with shock.

"It's really all about thinking of the person you want to imitate or just think of the features you want to have and then do it," Tonks said with bounce.

Jessica opened her mouth to ask a question but she was interrupted by the purple haired witch.

"See, I'm going to change my features to look like you."

Jessica watched with fascination as Tonks closed her eyes tightly and stared in awe as her features began to gradually change to match her own.

"See, easy as can be," she said grinning madly.

"Jessica, love, I need…" Sirius' voice trailed off as his eyes saw double. He narrowed his eyes between the two Jessica's.

"Tonks?" he asked.

"Wotcher. How'd you know?" The witch asked while switching back to her normal appearance.

"Well for one the two of you have different smells, and two, you both dress differently," he said running his eyes over Jessica's body appreciatively. She blushed minutely.

"What did you need, Sirius?" Jessica asked smiling.

"Weeellll, _I_ need _you_ to come with _me_ right _noooowwww_," he said bouncing happily.

"I was just about to start practicing changing my appearance," she said, "Can it wait for an hour or so?" she asked sweetly.

Sirius frowned. "I mean _it_ could, but—"

"Well then it's settled then. I'll practice for an hour and then I'll meet you."

Sirius frowned further. "But, but, Jessica, I _really_ need to talk to you," he said cryptically.

"You just said it could wait."

"Well…I did…"

"Good," she said giving him a tender kiss on the lips.

"Where should I meet you," she asked sweetly, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck.

"If you have to ask, you'll never know," Sirius said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before walking in the direction of the kitchen, leaving behind a stunned Jessica.

Jessica smiled at his retreating back, shaking her head in mirth, before turning back to Tonks.

"So features. What do I have to do? Just concentrate and do it?" she asked.

"Yep," Tonks said cheerfully, "Start with something basic, like eye color and work your way to the more complicated stuff like lips and eye shape."

"Right. Well here goes," she said before shutting her eyes and concentrating on changing her eyes from their warm brown color to a cool calming grey. She thought of Sirius eyes and willed her eyes to match his.

Jessica opened her eyes and looked at Tonks apprehensively, "Did I do it? Did it work?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, it worked alright. I guess we had a little inspiration in this recent change," Tonks said raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Do you have a mirror?" She asked with pink tinged cheeks.

"Here ya go," Tonks said passing Jessica a medium sized mirror.

Jessica examined herself. She was happy she had accomplished the task of changing her features, but she was less than thrilled when she saw what she looked like with grey eyes.

"I think I'll be sticking with brown," she said.

"Okay let's do a few more and then you can go find my cousin," Tonks said moving her eyebrows once more.

"And you can go find Remus," Jessica said closing her eyes to begin the changes once more.

Tonks blushed but ignored it and watched as Jessica's features began to slightly resemble Remus'.

"Why you little witch," Tonks said jokingly.

"What ever is wrong, dear Tonks?" Jessica asked innocently.

"_Nothing,_" she said smirking at Jessica, "I think we've done enough today, you better get going or my cousin will give you a spanking for being late," she said with a smug look on her face.

Remus' features fell from Jessica's face as she stared at Tonks with shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but found no words come out, so she instead walked away.

"You win this time, Nymphadora, but believe me tomorrow will be a different story," she said smiling as the red haired witch shriek that her name was Tonks.

Jessica laughed and continued to walk away. She felt good. And she didn't know why, but she felt that today was going to be a good day. But she knew that if her grasp of her powers were any indication then this day would be very good.

On her way to Sirius' bedroom, she passed a full-length mirror. She stared deeply into the mirror and looked at herself for a long time. Jessica noticed that she looked a lot better than she had a few days ago. She wasn't as pale as she had been and her eyes looked much browner, which was a clear indication that she was happy.

And she knew that her change wasn't merely outward because she felt it inside too. Jessica felt her confidence coming back tenfold with each triumph she experienced with her powers. Sirius had been right; her fear had been holding her back. But she was proud to have conquered that feat.

Jessica left the mirror with an even bigger smile on her face. She walked into Sirius' bedroom and found him lounging on the bed, with his eyes closed. She smiled at his calm demeanor. She stood staring at him for a few minutes, before climbing onto bed with him and laying her head on his chest.

Sirius opened his eyes when he felt Jessica's head hit his chest. He took a moment to watch her, before placing a locking charm on the room.

"Jessica," he whispered softly, "_Are you awake?_" he asked in a loud stage whisper.

"Well if I was, I'm not anymore," she said grinning up at him.

"Oh good then," he said before taking her lips in a heated kiss, "I've missed you," he murmured against her lips.

"You just saw me," she groaned as his hands trailed over her body tantalizingly.

"Well, obviously that wasn't enough," he said.

Jessica tried to retort, but all that escaped her mouth was a breathy moan.

Sirius smiled, his plan to her alone had been accomplished.

The two lay in each others arms hours later, with a few clothing items missing from their bodies. _(AN: No they have not had sex yet.)_ Jessica smiled at Sirius happily. She didn't know how he always managed to make her happy, but she was glad he did.

"_I said maybe  
You're gonna be the one who saves me?  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall  
_

Jessica smiled as she heard Sirius' sweet voice in her ears.

_  
I said maybe  
You're gonna be the one who saves me?  
And after all  
You're my wonderwall _

Said maybe  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
You're gonna be the one that saves me  
You're gonna be the one that saves me"

"That was good, but I thought you didn't sing," she said smirking.

"For you I'll sing anything," he whispered while placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

* * *

"_Ordinary," sang by Train on the "Spiderman II" soundtrack._

"_Wonderwall," sang by Oasis on the "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" album._

**SO please REVIEW. I leave for my grandparent's house on Wednesday. So I bid everyone farewell until January. Please REVIEW.**


	16. Them's Fighting Words

**AN: Well hello again. I'm sorry for taking so long. But here it is, all beta-ed and beautiful. Um...don't hate me because of the end. But again I own nothing but the characters you don't recognize. I know I don't deserve to ask, but could you all please review.**

**

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Chapter 16—Them's Fighting Words**

_Two Months Later_

Jessica's powers had been growing steadily the past few months and now she had a real grasp of them. She was extremely proud of herself, as was Sirius.

The two lay in quietly in each others arms, Sirius with his eyes closed and Jessica with her eyes glued to a photograph on his nightstand. The picture had been puzzling her for some time. It was of a tall man with messy black hair and hazel eyes with his arms around a beautiful redhead with brilliant green eyes, which reminded her of Sirius' godson Harry.

The photograph had been nagging at her for about a month, and every time she questioned Sirius about it he'd shut down coldly. Jessica had thought about asking Remus or Harry about the photograph, but she knew it would upset Sirius and she wanted the answers from him.

Jessica couldn't understand why he was being so tight lipped about this picture. Sirius had always expressed that he wanted an open and honest relationship with her; however, it seemed that that notion fled his mind whenever the topic of said photo came up.

Jessica thought of herself as a patient woman. But her patience had been waning thin for the past month. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Sirius, are you up?" she asked strongly, readying herself for a fight.

"Hmm, yeah love," he said placing a tender kiss to her temple.

Jessica smiled at this gesture. The kiss almost made her will crumble, but she would not let him deter her so easily, even if he didn't know he was doing it.

"Sirius, we need to talk…," she said lifting her body from his arms.

Sirius opened his eyes and looked at her back with a confused and fearful look on his face. _'We need to talk,'_ had always been words that led in disaster.

"…about that picture," she said turning towards him. She felt his mood change instantly from fear to anger to coldness in an instant.

"No we don't, Jessica I've already told you I don't want to talk about that picture."

"But I want to talk about it. You're keeping things from me, things about your life, I know it, I can feel it, and I don't think it's fair to me or to our relationship."

"Well I think you need to mind your own business."

"But you are my business. You're my boyfriend and it's important for us to know about each other's lives. You know everything about me, but yet I'm only allowed to know a select few things about you. It's not fair."

"Yeah well life isn't fair," he said bitterly.

"Is that all you can say to me? Life's not fair? Because I think—"

"Well you know what I think?" he asked angrily. "I think it's time that you go. Get out," he said with blazing gray eyes.

Jessica stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You heard me! Get!" he said flinging his arm towards the door.

Jessica stared at him with her mouth open.

"Why are you still here?" he questioned nastily.

"Don't worry, I won't be back here again," she said jumping off the bed in a huff.

Jessica left Sirius' room in a livid tizzy. She couldn't believe how Sirius had just treated her. But she did know one thing, she wasn't staying anywhere she was not wanted.

Sirius lay on his bed brooding. He couldn't understand why Jessica couldn't let go of that picture. Why couldn't she understand that that was something he didn't want to share with her?

_But she has every right to want to know,_ his conscience told him.

_Not if it's going to make her look at me differently._

_She already does look at you differently now, because of the whole yelling and kicking her out._

_Shit._

Sirius jumped from his bed, her last words ringing in his ear, _I won't be here again._

_Shit,_ he thought again.

"Jessica," Sirius called walking down the hallway.

"Jessica, come on love. I know you're mad, and I'm really sorry," he said as he continued to walk around the house.

Sirius felt panic begin to grip his heart and he once again heard her words ring in his head, _I won't be here again._

"Jessica!"

"Sirius, what's wrong?"

Sirius turned to see Remus looking at him with concerned eyes.

"I can't find her," Sirius said looking terrified.

"Look, calm down, I'm sure she's somewhere here. We just need to look."

"No, we had a fight and I told her to leave, and I…_sigh_…I think she took me literally," he said running his hand through his hair.

Remus frowned. "Well, let's look through the house more and then we can go out and look for her."

"No, you all stay here and look for her. I'm going to her apartment," Sirius said grabbing his coat from the rack in the hallway.

"I'll come with you. Harry and Ron can search the house," he said shrugging on his coat.

Sirius didn't say a word, instead looked at the door with intense eyes, as if willing Jessica to walk through it.

"Let's go, I've told Harry and Ron."

Sirius and Remus Apparated from Twelve Grimmauld Place and landed in the small apartment of Jessica's.

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**Again, I know I don't deserve to ask, but PLEASE REVIEW. Thanks again. And, uh, don't hate me because of the cliffy. Happy Valentine's Day.**


	17. Why Can't I Get to You?

**AN: Sorry for the wait. Again I own nothing but the plot and the characters you don't recognize. I thank you all for being so patient with me. I really appreciate it. Please review and tell me what you think. Also if you could check out my new story, it's called Fanatic Obsession. It's a bit different from anything I've ever done, although Sirius is still the main character.**

Revised: March 12, 2007. Beta-ed.

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Chapter 17—Why Can't I Get to You? 

_There's a train leavin' somewhere from a station.  
There's a plane due almost anywhere, every hour on the hour.  
I can walk down any street, put miles under my feet,  
Movin' on nothin' but willpower._

Sirius Apparated from 12 Grimmauld Place into Jessica's apartment with Remus along side him. The two friends quickly muttered _Lumos_ and began looking around the dimly lit apartment.

Sirius walked through the living room and straight back to her bedroom. Memories began to flash through his eyes. The snoring that had continued to wake him from his sleep, the forbidden nights the two shared, and the close encounter the two had had with his cousins.

He now wished more than ever that he had just told her about the significance of the photo. Her safety was worth more than his pride and he knew that James would have wanted her to know about their friendship.

Sirius sat down sadly on Jessica's bed. He picked up a picture of her and her friends from the nightstand. She looked so beautiful and happy.

_So tell me why can't I get to you?  
How can I make you feel everything that I do?  
If faith can move mountains, and love will see you through,  
Then tell me why can't I get to you?_

Sirius picked up Jessica's pillow and breathed in her scent deeply. He missed her terribly and he couldn't help but fear for her safety.

Sirius then stood abruptly, placing the pillow back in its position. He walked out of the room calling Remus.

"She's not here, let's go too Will's apartment. She might be there; you know where he lives don't you?"

"Yes, but we can't Apparate in there. We'll have to find an alley and then walked the rest of the way."

The two then disappeared with a significant pop.

_

* * *

I can't live in the silence that's come between us.  
Wonderin' where you are, even when you're holdin' me.  
So tonight, don't turn away... say what you need to say.  
We owe this love the honesty._

Tell me why can't I get to you?  
How can I make you feel everything that I do?  
If faith can move mountains, and love will see you through,  
Then tell me why can't I get to you?

"Will it's me Remus," Remus yelled through the door.

"Remy, how the hell are you?" Will asked happily swinging the door open. "You haven't called me in a while," he said pouting.

"I know I'm sorry, but I've been really busy. I'm look—"

"Have you seen Jessica?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"Who are you?" Will asked with suspicious eyes.

"I'm her boyfriend Sirius."

"No you aren't, Jessica's dating some cheating loser named Fin, who doesn't even know where she lives. Isn't that wild? Yes, yes I know, but anyway if you were Jessica's boyfriend she would have told me, even though I haven't heard from her in awhile."

"So you don't know where she is," Sirius asked tersely.

"No."

"Would Charlotte know?"

"She might have gone there?" Will asked crossing his arms over his chest.

Sirius walked away without another word. Remus followed after he exchanged a few more words with Will, telling him to call him if Jessica showed.

_

* * *

Maybe there's a river I haven't crossed.  
Maybe there's a bridge you'd need to burn.  
I'm gonna keep searchin' even though we're lost,  
An' keep on believin' there's another corner that we might turn._

Sirius knocked on Charlotte's door.

"Who is it?"

"Charlotte, it's Remus, Will's friend."

"Oh hello," she said opening the door slowly.

"Hi—"

"Do you know where Jessica is?" Sirius asked rudely.

"Who are you?"

Sirius sighed in annoyance and turned his eyes up to the dark sky. "I'm Sirius, Jessica's boyfriend and it's very important that I find her," he said pleading with her through his eyes.

"She's never mentioned you. Last I heard she was dating someone named Fin. Do you know he doesn't even know where she lives?" Charlotte asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I know. But back to the pressing matter, do you know where she is?"

Charlotte looked at Sirius for a long moment before answering.

"No I don't know where she is, but she might be at the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center. She goes there when she's upset."

"Thanks."

"If you find her tell her Will and I miss her," she said before closing the door softly.

_

* * *

Tell me why can't I get to you?  
How can I make you feel everything that I do?  
If faith can move mountains, and love will see you through,  
Then tell me why can't I,  
No matter how I try...  
Why can't I get to you?_

Sirius walked down the walkway towards the slippery rink. His eyes frantically searched for Jessica.

His heart caught is his throat when he saw a stationary form lying on the cold rink.

'_Merlin she must be freezing.'_

Sirius cast a non-verbal spell on his shoes allowing better trekking on the ice rink.

"Jessica," he said looking down at her angelic face.

"Sirius? What are you doing here?" she said.

"I'm here to apologize love, and to yell at you for running off like that. You have no idea how worried I've been. I'm been going out of mind love. I couldn't help but think that you could have been hurt or in danger. Please don't do that to me again." Sirius said leaning down and pulling him into his arms.

"I'm been sick with worry, love. And I've missed you so much. I love you. And I'm sorry for yelling and for kicking you out. I was an idiot. I…I just don't want you to look at me differently because of my past. I don't want it to change what we have," he said looking deeply into her brown eyes.

"I'm sorry I ran, but I don't appreciate being spoken to like that or yelled at."

"I know and I'm sorry," he said pleading with her with his eyes.

"And your past can only make us stronger. It makes me feel like you don't trust me and you're hiding stuff from me when you don't talk to me. I just want to know who you are," she said earnestly.

"Baby I trust you, I really do, and I love you," he said kissing her softly.

"I love you too," she said against his lips.

"Come on Moony's waiting," he said helping her up.

Jessica turned around and saw Remus looking at them.

"Hi Remus."

"Hello Jessica. So next time no running off, okay. Just come and tell me what this bone head does and I'll take care of him," he said smiling.

"Hey!"

"Okay, will you let me help?"

"Hey!"

"But of course m'lady."

"Hey!"

Jessica kissed Sirius softly on the lips earning a dashing smile from him.

"Come on, I'll show you both around the city," she said taking both of their hands in hers.

"Or," Sirius said removing his hand from hers, "we could," he said bending down and gathering a ball of snow, "have a…SNOW BALL FIGHT," Sirius shouted launching a snow ball at Jessica.

Jessica laughed loudly, before bending and attacking both Sirius and Remus with a bevy of snow balls.

The three adults were so wrapped up in their mischief that neither noticed the pair of jealous green eyes watching them and the seething form advance slowly on them.

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**Please review. Thanks again you guys are the best.**

**And don't forget to check out my new story called Fanatic Obsession.**

"_Why Can't I Get to You" by Hot Apple Pie on the album "Hot Apple Pie"_


	18. We're So Far Away

**AN: I own nothing except for the characters you don't recognize. This chapter has not been beta-read. Please REVIEW.

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Chapter 18—We're So Far Away**

_Did you know how you would move me, did you know?  
Did you know how you would move me?  
Well, I don't even think so.  
But the moment's magic swept us away.  
And it's so close, but we're so far away.  
It's so close, but we're so far away._

Jessica pulled her hand back, preparing to pelt Sirius with a large, cold snowball, when she felt a pair of strong hands turn her around forcefully.

"Jessica," the voice of the angry man said.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she gasped in surprise and pain.

"I could ask you the same thing. Who are they? But more importantly why was that black haired bastard all over you?" he asked enraged.

"It's none of your business. You don't own me, and besides I told you it was over Fin," Jessica said trying unsuccessfully to shrug his hands from her body.

"It is my business because you belong to me, and that blood traitor could never make you happy," he said squeezing her body tighter.

"I be-belong to no one…ow Fin you're hurting me. Let me go," she said gasping.

"LET HER GO!" a voice roared behind her.

"Aww if it isn't the blood traitor come to rescue his little whore," Fin said with a mad glint in his eyes.

"I said Let. Her. Go. Or…"

"Or what Black? What are you going to do? Hm?" Fin said smirking allowing one of his hands to run the length of Jessica's body.

Sirius lunged for Fin, but Remus' held his hot-headed friend back.

"Sirius calm down, trying to tackle him will only hurt Jessica," Remus said calmly, although his eyes showed his anger.

Sirius looked at Jessica, allowing Remus' words to flow through his system.

Sirius smiled shakily while trying to calm himself, "Love, I need you to remember all those lessons we've been having. I want you to come to me, love," Jessica's face showed complete revulsion as Fin's hands traveled down her body.

"Love, don't worry about him. Focus on me baby, on me and come to me. Jessica I know you can do it," Sirius said gripping his wand tightly in his hand, holding himself back from cursing the green eyed assailant.

"Sirius, I don't know if I can do…"

"Yes you can," Sirius said forcefully.

Jessica nodded her head slowly while closing her eyes. She heard Sirius' soothing words coaxing her to him. She imagined his body holding hers, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her body, and his lips moving softly against hers.

And then she let go.

When Jessica opened her eyes she found herself in the strong embrace of Sirius Black. Jessica looked shocked for a moment, before a large smile formed on her lips.

"I'm so proud of you baby," Sirius whispered in her ear before turning to Fin with thunder in his eyes. He handed Jessica to Remus and prepared himself to battle Fin, but as he raised his wand to send an attack he heard a cry.

"Sirius! Death Eaters!" Remus shouted to his ebony haired friend.

"Didn't think I'd come all alone did you Black?" Fin smirked.

"Of course not because that would mean that you're a man, which clearly you aren't," Sirius sneered.

Fin's green eyes darkened with rage, "If I were you I'd learn some manners," he said raising his wand threateningly, "or someone will force you to learn them."

Sirius laughed crudely, "And who's going to teach them to me? You?"

"Yessssss," Fin hissed out before brandishing his wand at Sirius.

Sirius rolled out of the line of the bright light, before sending a curse at Fin, who also moved from harms way. The two battled tirelessly. Sirius placed his sole concentration on the fair haired man before him, but his concentration was hindered when he heard Jessica's shout for help.

Jessica looked at her surroundings, temporarily mesmerized by the fast movements and different color streaks flying through the air.

"Jessica I want you to go back to Headquarters and alert the rest of the Order," Remus said before he raced towards the Death Eaters.

Jessica made to travel back to Grimmauld Place when a pair of hands grasped her around her waist. "Where do you think you're going Mudblood?" a cold voice said savagely in her ear.

Jessica turned her body around quickly and she was met with a pair crystal clear blue eyes. "Cassi?" Jessica asked with shocked recognition.

Cassiopeia sneered at the young brunette woman, "Yes who else would it be, you stupid Mudblood."

Jessica looked at Cassi with confused eyes, "What are you doing here? And why are you touching me? Let me go," Jessica with authority in her voice.

"You're coming with me. I'm going to take you to my Lord and then he will reward me for bringing you to him," Cassiopeia said with a mad glint in her eye.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Jessica said beginning to struggle against the blond witch.

The women struggled against each other. But Cassiopeia, being the more experienced one, took the upper hand of the fight. Jessica cried out in pain, before she called out to Sirius for help.

Sirius sent a final spell towards Fin, distracting him momentarily, which gave him time to get away and move towards Jessica.

Sirius sent a warning Stunner towards Cassiopeia which caused her to let go of Jessica in order to dodge the spell.

"Cassi," Sirius said with venom in his voice, "leave her alone."

"I won't, not until I bring her to my Master. Now step aside Black, this doesn't concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't," Sirius raged at the blond witch.

"Siriusssss, I believe we have some businessssss to attend to," a voice hissed behind him.

Sirius turned around just in time for the red light to hit him squarely in the chest. Jessica screamed in fear as she watched Sirius fall to the hard, cold ground.

Her scream alerted Remus who had been off battling two Death Eaters. He shouted two quick Stupefies at the Death Eaters before running to aid Jessica.

Unfortunately, Remus was too late. As he came to a halt in front of Jessica, Fin and Cassiopeia grabbed onto her, and the three disappeared with a resolute pop.

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**Please REVIEW because they make me so happy.**


	19. Without You

**AN: I know it's been forever, but I had the hardest time with this chapter. It just wouldn't flow. But here it is and I am finally happy with it. Please review, let me know what you think of it.

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**

**Chapter 19—Without You**

_Without you I'm not okay  
And without you  
I've lost my way  
My heart's stuck  
In second place ooh  
Without you_

--Dixie Chicks "Without You"

Sirius opened his eyes slowly before instantly shutting them again. A bright light seemed to be hanging directly in front of his face, and it burned his eyes tremendously.

"Jessica," Sirius called hoarsely. Sirius heard moment from his side, and he tentatively opened his eyes which began to adjust to the blaring light (which was actually off to a corner).

"Sirius, you're awake," he heard a male voice say before a mop of black hair flooded his eyes.

"Yes I am Harry. Why am I lying here? And where is Jessica and Moony?" Sirius asked beginning to rise from the bed he was lying on.

"Well you were hit with a Stunner and Remus brought you back," Harry said nervously.

"Is he alright?"

"Just fine."

"Good," Sirius said adjusting his body into an upright position. "Where's Jessica? Is she alright? She's not hurt is she Harry?" Sirius questioned beginning to get panicked from the way Harry avoided his eyes.

"Well…"

"Harry where is Jessica?" Sirius asked with a stern voice.

"Sirius we don't know where Jessica is. She was taken by Fin and Cassiopeia." Harry said softly.

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, trying to block the entire world away. "Harry if this is a joke it's not a very funny one. In fact it's down right—"

"Sirius it's not a joke. Jessica is gone, but we'll find her." Harry said with sad eyes as he looked at his Godfather.

Sirius felt as if he were drowning. He tried to grasp something that would save him, but the only thing that could save him was currently beyond his reach.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Jessica felt as if she were going to throw up. Her entire body felt as if it had just been sucked through a tiny straw and then forced back through.

"Can't hack magic Mudblood, huh?" Cassie asked cruelly.

Jessica looked at her with hard eyes. "If my blood and I are so worthless then why do you waste you _precious_ time with me? Why not just ignore me _oh great bloody one_?" Jessica asked sarcastically, trying to mask her fear.

"I waste my time with you because the Dark Lord wants you. Why he would is beyond me, but I don't question him." Cassie said with a sneer.

"Really because it sounds to me as if you are questioning him," Jessica said.

"Are you questioning me Cassiopeia?" a cold voice called behind them. Jessica felt a chill pass through her; she looked at Cassie and noticed that she had become unnaturally pale.

"N-no, my Lord I was just making conversation with the Mudblood." Cassie said shakily.

"Hm…so it would seem," the voice said chillingly.

"I brought her to you my Lord, j-just as you asked."

Jessica stood still throughout the entire exchange, hoping that the owner of the cold voice would look over her.

"My dear Jessica how nice of you to join me," the voice said, "well turn around and let us see one another, don't be rude. Cassiopeia you can let her go, she won't be going anywhere."

Jessica closed her eyes tightly and then opened them once again while turning around to meet the person who initiated her kidnapping.

A gasp caught in Jessica's throat, threatening to choke her. The man, if he could even be classified as such, was the very embodiment of grotesque. His pasty white skin shone brightly in the moonlight, his bizarre red eyes blinked slowly at her, made even brighter by his white skin and the moonlight. His nose could hardly be defined as a nose a human being possessed, for it was only two miniscule slits. And because of all of these things Jessica knew that this…_thing_ was not, and could not be a human.

Jessica desperately wanted to run and cower somewhere in a corner. She wanted to be back in Sirius protective arms, and feel his calming heartbeat against her chest. _'Sirius please save me,'_ she thought mournfully.

"Why hello," the thing said with in a would be cheerful voice. "I do not believe we have been formally introduced," he said circling around Jessica. "I am Lord Voldemort, and that would make you Jessica Huxtable."

Jessica's eyes snapped to his chillingly red ones, and she immediately felt a strange sensation. It felt as if someone, or something, was moving around in her mind, pushing softly through memories making her relive them in her mind's eye.

"Ah…I can see you still have Black—he spat the name—in your head, we'll have to work on that because you are, incase you had in doubt, mine."

"I don't belong to anyone!" Jessica shouted back heatedly which caused his eyes to darken.

'_Whoops, maybe I should have kept that little tidbit to myself,'_ she thought as she watched the thing.

Voldemort chuckled lightly which did nothing to relive Jessica's fears, "My dear girl, in time you will see what you truly are and what your powers can really do for you, and then you will be begging me to train you and to have you as my own. And I will be a gracious Lord and grant you your wishes. Until then, I would not mistake my kindness for weakness because the consequences will be dire."

Voldemort walked from towards the prone form standing near the wall. "Ah, Mr. Fin, how stiff and hollow you are. Shall we show her your true nature?" Voldemort asked the statuesque man.

"You see my dear, the man you believe to be your boyfriend—"

"Ex-boyfriend," Jessica corrected softly.

"Fin is my alter ego. You see he is my more…how shall I put this…ah, my more handsome side. I could never have wooed you dear girl had I looked like my reborn self. And by this you can see my graciousness for I did this for _your_ viewing pleasure. And soon you shall return the pleasure to me. No my dear," Voldemort said at seeing Jessica's horrified face, "I shall not change your appearance because it is already pleasing to me; although, you could stand to lose a few pounds."

Jessica's face changed from horrified to affronted at the suggestion that she was fat. _'I'll give him fat.'_

"No you shall fulfill my carnal desires, for I assure you that I do have them. But before we get to that, I am going to school you on Black, the man who claims to love you so much. But I wonder if he has told you everything there is to know about him," Voldemort said haughtily.

Jessica looked at him suspicious eyes because she knew what he was doing; she was no fool.

"Sirius loves me and I love him. No matter what. The things he has kept from me aren't important."

But even as she said this, she knew it wasn't true. It did matter that he kept things from her, and the look in Voldemort's eyes told her that he knew that she wasn't being entirely truthful.

"I think they do matter, but we will discuss this further at a later time. Now my dear you need to rest, so I will see you tomorrow. Cassiopeia, take Jessica to her room."

Jessica felt uneasy as she followed Cassie silently towards her quarters. She wasn't sure what this Voldemort character had in mind for her, but she knew that it wasn't anything good.

Cassie led Jessica into her room, and immediately left without a word. Jessica's eyes flew to the door when she heard what sounded like a bolt being placed onto her door. She then heard a confusing string of Latin.

She rushed to the door and tried to pull it open, but it did not budge. But Jessica would not be deterred so easily. She continued to pull and tug on the door until her arm was sore and limp. Jessica slid to the floor while fighting back tears.

'_I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry. Sirius told me to be strong, so I will not cry. I need to figure out a way to get out of this.'_ Jessica thought to herself as she swallowed the tears that threatened to swallow her.

'_Okay. How are you going to get out of this one Huxtable? Had you just stayed at Sirius' house you wouldn't be in this predicament.'_

'_You know yelling at yourself isn't going to get you out of this anytime soon, don't you? What you need to do is think of a way out!'_

'_How can I get out? How can I get out?'_

'_You could always orb.'_

'_I could do that couldn't I?'_

'_Yes you could.'_

'_Okay here I go!'_

Jessica closed her eyes and concentrated on her magic and felt it beginning to form within her. She felt it well inside of her as and she let it take off. Jessica's body contorted into a ball of silvery blue light which sailed through the air and right into the wall, hard, sending Jessica painfully into the floor.

"Ow," Jessica said picking herself up slowly and moving to the tiny bed in the corner of the drib room.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," she sighed while lying on the bed.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

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**REVIEW REPLIES FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T LEAVE A WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU:**

**J**: What the sentence means is that Sirius **returned **from the Veil at the age of 28, **not** that he **fell **through the Veil at 28. It was meant to suggest that the Veil is like a time portal which reverses the person's age. I hope that you get a chance to read all of the chapters soon, and I look at every review I get. Thanks for the review, and sorry for the misunderstanding.


	20. These Dreams

**AN: I don't own anything, except for the characters don't recognize. Please Review.**

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**Chapter 20—These Dreams**

_Darkness on the edge  
Shadows where I stand  
I search for the time  
On a watch with no hands_

I want to see you clearly  
Come closer than this  
But all I remember  
Are the dreams in the mist

These dreams go on when I close my eyes  
Every second of the night, I live another life  
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside  
Every moment I'm awake, the further I'm away 

--"These Dreams" by Heart

Jessica lay on the tough bed in a restless sleep. Her body shifted and turned continuously through the night as her dreams plagued her with uncomforting thoughts and memories.

_A young girl dressed in Winnie the Pooh pajamas, sat in a stationary ambulance with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She watched in a daze as the black smoke filled the dark sky as she breathed in the clean air the oxygen mask—that sat snuggly on her face—provided her._

"_What's your name sweetheart?" a kind voice asked the small girl, as she removed the mask from her face. The girl turned her head to look at a woman dressed in various colors of blue._

"_Jessica," she mumbled out softly._

"_Well isn't that a pretty name," the woman said, with a smile on her face. "Well Jessica, my name is Katie and I'm a paramedic."_

_Jessica nodded her head dully before turning her head back to the black smoke coming from her house._

"_Jessica, how about you look at me dear," Katie said, while rubbing Jessica's back softly. "Now, how old are you dear?"_

"_Four."_

"_Wow, you're a big girl aren't you?" Katie asked sweetly. Jessica nodded her head softly._

"_Where's my mom and dad?" Jessica asked, looking at Katie with big curious brown eyes._

_Katie turned her head away quickly and her eyes darted quickly to the two large black bags on two stretchers._

"_How about we worry about that later, hm?" Katie asked, keeping the waver from her voice._

"_No, I want my mom," Jessica stated stronger._

"_Jessica," Katie began softly, but she was cut off by Jessica's small voice._

"_Momma, momma," she called as she jumped from the vehicle._

"_Ouch," Jessica cried as she fell to the ground from the jump._

"_Momma, I hurt myself. Mommy," she shouted as she ran around looking for her mother. "Daddy, where are you?"_

Jessica flew up in the tiny bed; she had small sweat beads covering face. Jessica—with tightly shut eyes— tried to catch her breath, but there didn't seem to be enough air in the room. Jessica opened her eyes slowly, and looked around the tiny dark room.

She couldn't understand why she was dreaming of her parents deaths because she hadn't thought of it in years.

Jessica laid back down slowly and shut her eyes once more. She wished more now than ever that Sirius was here to hold her, and whisper sweet and soothing words into her ear.

She tried to imagine him holding her now, his arms were wrapped tightly around her, and she drifted off into another nightmarish sleep.

_Jessica sat at the front of the church in all black. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she did understand that her mother and father were never coming back._

_She sat stoically as the priest spoke words of comfort to her and the rest of the mourners._

_Jessica walked to her parents' coffins with small tears running down her face. She barely noticed as someone picked her small form up to look at her parents' peaceful faces._

_The person who lifted her to view her parents silently sat her back on the ground, and she heard—although not understanding—all of the gossip and mystery that surrounded her parents' faces and bodies._

"_Did you see that? Not one burn mark! And they died in a fire, but not one burn mark!"_

"_I thought they died in a fire."_

"_Did you see any burns? Because I didn't. Did you?"_

Jessica shot out of her sleep once more. Once again her breath was labored, but this time she was thoughtful and shaken. She didn't remember seeing any burns on her parents' either, and if she remembered correctly—which was shaky in itself because she was so young when it happened—they had died because of the fire.

'_Maybe the smoke caused their deaths,'_ she thought sadly.

"But no one ever mentioned the smoke, only the fire," she said softly.

Jessica tried to shake the dream from her head, and the feeling that things had not been as they had appeared when she was a young girl.

"Mom, dad I need you both now more than ever before," she spoke out softly. "Sirius I need you too."

Jessica lay down, once again, on the bed. But this time sleep did not come, so she merely stared at the wall, hoping for her thoughts to run dry.

_Here I am  
And beyond the reach of my hands  
She sounds asleep and she's sweeter now  
Than the wildest dreams  
Could have seen her  
And I Watch her slipping away  
And I know I'll be hunting high and low_

Sirius lay in his bed while the darkness of the room consumed him. Jessica had been missing for about six hours, but to him it felt like six days.

Sirius sighed, and positioned himself onto his back, like so many other times, but only this time there was no Jessica to curl up against him and lay her head on his chest.

His bed felt so cold now, and he didn't think it would ever get warmer unless Jessica was in it with him. And the coldness seemed to transfer from the bed to him, or maybe the coldness he felt within was transferring to the bed. Sirius wasn't sure; all he knew was that he felt so cold without her.

Sirius couldn't help but blame himself for losing her. _'If I hadn't been such a prat she wouldn't have left. And had I been a stronger fighter she wouldn't have been captured.'_

He tried to shake these thoughts from his head because he knew that Jessica would be upset with him for having such thoughts, but they wouldn't leave him.

And just like Sirius' thoughts wouldn't leave him, sleep would not come to him. No matter how many times he would shut his eyes, they would always open and show him the darkness. And the darkness would taunt him and remind him that he was alone. And he would be alone until he found Jessica.

'_I will find her,'_ Sirius said strongly to himself. And it was with that thought that a restless sleep finally captured him.

A few hours later

Sirius bolted up from his sleep. His breath labored and his face moist with sweat. The dream that woke him was slipping fast from his memory, but he knew it involved Jessica and Voldemort.

Sirius laid down slowly in his bed, and felt himself back at square one because it seemed that sleep was eluding him once more. So he merely began staring at the walls once more.

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	21. They Came Snapping At Your Heels

**AN: I own nothing, except for the things you don't recognize. This will be the last chapter for at least a month. If you would like to know why please visit my profile. I hope you enjoy it. Please REVIEW. **

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**Chapter 21—They Came Snapping At Your Heels **

_So you lost your trust  
That you never should have  
No, you never should have  
But don't break your back  
If you ever see this  
But don't answer that  
In a bullet proof vest  
With the windows all closed  
I'll be doing my best  
I'll see you soon  
In a telescope lens  
And when all you want is friends  
I'll see you soon_

So they came for you  
They came snapping at your heels  
They come snapping at your heels  
But don't break your back  
If you ever say this  
But don't answer that

--Coldplay "See You Soon"

A throat clearing sounded through the dreary kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

'Sni—" the throat cleared again.

"Sna—" once more the sound of a throat clearing vibrated off of the walls in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Severus," Sirius said in a sickly sweet voice. "If you know any information concerning the whereabouts of Jessica, I would greatly appreciate it if you told me." Sirius said with a fake smile, which actually looked closer to a grimace, stretched onto his lips.

"Good job, Padfoot. I'm proud of you," Remus said, slapping his best friend on the back for finally acting his age. "Now just remember to call him Severus, not Snape, and certainly not Snivellus. Now, Severus will be here in another twenty minutes. Do you want to practice once more?"

"Yeah, I better," Sirius said sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, well pretend that I am Severus," Remus said, crossing his arms, and placing a scowl over his facial features.

"You're missing the black billowing robe, the fat hooked nose, and the greasy hair," Sirius said.

"Sirius—"

"Alright, let's just get this over with."

Sirius closed his eyes, and tried to focus on being civil to his sworn enemy, Severus Snape.

"Sni—"

Remus cleared his throat.

"Right, Severus. Severus if there is any information you know concerning the whereabouts of Jessica, I would appreciate it if you told me—"

"Say please," Remus whispered.

"Come on Remus, don't make me say please. It's bad enough I'm actually going to have to talk to Old Snivels in the first place, don't make me be extra polite. And if he even thinks about keeping anything from me about Jessica, I'll—"

"You'll what Black?"

"I'll rip your throat out," Sirius growled matter-of-factly.

"Sirius, be polite. I know that is a hard concept for you to comprehend sometimes, but if you want Jessica back, you _have_ to play nice," Remus, whose back was to Snape, mouthed.

Sirius rolled his eyes with as much subtlety as he could, while heaving a large sigh.

Sirius closed his eyes, searching for the strength to degrade himself in this way. And the only way he found that he could was by imagining the end result, Jessica back safely in his arms.

"Severus," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "Do you have any information concerning Jessica's whereabouts," Sirius said, just as practiced.

Snape smiled silkily at Sirius, finally finding the proper way to seek a little revenge on his childhood, and adulthood, nemesis.

"Maybe I do Black. Why is it important to you?"

Sirius clenched his fist tightly, and gritted his teeth, in order to stop the smart retort from falling from his mouth.

"It is important to me," he growled, "because Jessica is important to me, and she was left in my care—"

"And we all know how well you succeeded at protecting her Black," Severus said with a cruel smirk on his lips.

Remus kicked Sirius's foot softly, and shook his head telling him nonverbally not to take the bait that Snape was laying in front of him.

"Do you know where she is at? Or do you know someone who does know where she is at?" Sirius barked out, his voice rising from its previous throaty tone.

"Well, Black, knowledge is a slippery adversary. It often comes and goes, sometimes it allows itself to be shared, and sometimes it doesn't. And I feel that now is one of those times when it doesn't allow itself to be shared." Severus said his smirk increasing in malice.

"Look here Snivellus," Sirius said dropping the 'play nice' act, and grabbing Snape by his black robes and thrusting him into the kitchen wall.

"Sirius don't do this. Let Severus go, and we can—"

"Shut it Remus," Sirius growled towards his best friend. Sirius turned back to the Potions Master, and snarled, "You'll tell me where Jessica is, or else I'll—"

"That will be quite enough Sirius," Dumbledore, who was standing in the entrance of the kitchen, said calmly. "I think it is time that you release Severus, and then he can tell us where Miss. Huxtable is."

By this time Dumbledore had walked across the threshold and placed a pacifying hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"I know you're worried about her safety, but this isn't the way Sirius." Dumbledore said, speaking softly to Sirius.

Sirius threw one more contemptuous glare at Snape, before letting his robes go, and watching in satisfaction as he fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Once all of the men were seated, Dumbledore called the impromptu meeting to order.

"Okay Severus, do you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Miss. Huxtable?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes I do Headmaster. He is holding her in one of the mansions owned by his family on his father's side. I am not exactly certain of its location, but I do know that it is in Northern Ireland," Severus said glaring at Sirius.

"Could you be a bit more specific," Sirius asked haughtily, "something besides Northern Ireland. Maybe a city, town, or a county. What part of Northern Ireland? The middle, top, bottom, closer to the ocean? What part of Northern Ireland?" Sirius asked whose patience had already been on the decline.

"It's at the top of Ireland, close to the ocean," Snape said sourly.

"Next time share that bit of information with us at the very beginning," Sirius snapped moodily.

"Thank you Severus for this bit of information. Sirius, I will research my knowledge of the Riddle real estate. I hope to have this information back to you in a few days."

Sirius nodded his head dully, he wanted the information earlier, but he knew that it was impossible. Dumbledore would get everything ready as fast he could. Sirius suddenly felt tired, so instead of giving out pleasantries and well wishes, he left the kitchen without a word to anyone and climbed the stairs to his room.

Once in his room he collapsed head first onto his bed. He turned his head towards the picture of his deceased best friend and sighed.

"Keep her safe for me Prongs," he said softly before dozing off into a much needed slumber.

* * *

Jessica sat stoically in a chair facing Voldemort. She appeared nonchalant, but inside she was fuming and frightened. 

"Come my dear, show me those magnificent powers of yours," Voldemort whispered.

"What powers?" she asked glaring at the snake-like creature before her.

Voldemort smiled simply, "Don't play coy with me Jessica, but since you don't seem to enjoy this topic of conversation, how about we move onto something more interesting? Say for instance your blood traitor, Black."

Jessica's eyes immediately flickered towards Voldemort's forehead, skipping over his eyes because each time she met his eyes a strange grip held onto her brain, filing through her memories.

"Sirius is a good person," she told him softly.

"So it would seem, dear. But I've brought a special guest for you to speak with. He was once best friends with Black. And he knows all of the dirty details about your beloved. WORMTAIL!"

Jessica watched as a short and round man shuffled into the room, nearly tripping over his feet in his haste to enter.

"Have a seat Wormtail," Voldemort said, motioning to a seat beside him, which was also seated across from Jessica.

Jessica flinched back involuntarily when she saw Wormtail's face. It resembled a rat's face so much, it almost fascinated her. She also noticed that he seemed to have a tick about him, whether it was nervousness or if it was natural, she wasn't sure. Then her eyes fell onto his right hand, which seemed to be made of silver. _That_ fascinated her. It was so unnatural.

"Now, you were once friends with the traitor Black were you not?" Voldemort questioned.

"Y-yes my Lord."

"You were in the same year as him?"

"Yes my L-Lord."

"And what can you tell Miss. Huxtable about him?"

"Well he was, uh, a g-good enough student, got a lot of NEWTs. And, uh, he was a-always p-pranking people along with James. Remus and I helped a l-little, but it was mostly James and Sirius. And, uh, he was also…uh…"

"What of his love life Wormtail?"

"Well P-Padfoot was always with different girl each week, some girls lasted t-two, but they had to be very s-special," Wormtail said in a high squeaky voice.

"When was all of this?" Jessica asked suspiciously.

"W-when we were in school."

"So you guys were what, 16 to, what, 18 years old?"

"Y-yes."

Jessica turned to Voldemort, making sure to keep her eyes from his. "I'm supposed to care that Sirius had a lot of girlfriends when he was a teenager? Well, let me tell you, I don't. He was a kid; a lot of people have lots of girlfriends and boyfriends when they are in school. It doesn't matter, at least not to me." She finished heatedly.

Voldemort looked livid, his red eyes traveled over Jessica's face slowly, before he smirked softly. He leaned in closely to her, and whispered softly into her ear. "I am going to enjoy breaking you. And rest assure, I look forward to it. And it will happen soon. Before that blood traitor and old fool can come to rescue you. And after I'm done with you, no one else will have you, except me. I will enjoy it very much indeed."

Jessica tried to move as far from him as possible as he spoke these horrid words to her, but it seemed as if she was glued to the spot.

"So the sooner you accept me, the better." Voldemort returned to his original position before calling on more information from his servant.

"Now Wormtail, would you be kind enough to tell Jessica how old you are?"

"I-I'm almost 48."

Jessica looked up sharply at this. It wasn't the fact that he said he was in his late forties that startled her because, in truth, he actually looked much older. But what did grab her attention was that he and Sirius went to school together, but if that were true then it meant that Sirius was—.

"And you are a few months older than Black, am I right?"

"Y-yes my Lord."

"And _when_ will you be 48 Wormtail?"

"December 30th my Lord."

"And _when_ will Black be 48?"

"March 30th," Jessica said softly.

"That's right, dear, March 30th. It seems that your new friends deemed it unnecessary for you to know the true age of your beau."

"No, it's not like that. I never asked how old Sirius would be. I just assumed he was still—"

"In his twenties or early thirties?"

"Yes."

"So how do you feel about your precious blood traitor now, dear sweet Jessica? Is he everything you hoped he would be?" Voldemort asked with a malicious smirk on his face.

Jessica stayed silent.

"I asked you a question. And I want an answer. Is Black all you hoped he would be?"

"Yes, he is," Jessica said with a fire in her eyes. "I don't care how old he is because he loves me, and I love him. And age should never come between love. And it's not like he looks it. And stranger things have happened than a woman in her twenties loving a man who was nearing fifty."

Voldemort, who was so enraged from hearing this, eyes darkened to a black red.

"Wormtail take Jessica back to her quarters. And then come back here to me," Voldemort whispered acidly while standing and turning his back to Jessica and Wormtail.

Wormtail stood immediately from his chair, grabbed Jessica from her chair roughly, and he pulled her towards her chambers.

Jessica ripped her arm from his clutches, "I can walk," she said viciously.

Wormtail placed Jessica back in her cage, and he immediately tried to scurry away back to his Master.

"Wormtail?" Jessica questioned.

"Y-yes?"

"How'd you end up here if you were friends with Sirius?" Jessica asked him softly. "I don't see him letting a friend succumb to this type of life."

Wormtail looked at Jessica through the small window-like opening of the door.

"I-I-I"

"What's your real name?" Jessica asked overriding his stuttering.

Wormtail looked at Jessica for a small moment before speaking again, "P-Peter."

And then Peter slammed the iron door to the window shut, before scurrying away to his Master.

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	22. Lost Without You

**AN: I own nothing, except plot and things you don't recognize. I am sorry for the long wait, but things happened that I could not control. But I hope you enjoy it. Please review.

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**Chapter 22—Lost Without You **

_"On my bed so cold at night  
And I miss you more each day  
Only you can make it right  
No I'm not too proud to say_

All I know is I'm lost without you  
I'm not gonna lie  
How am I gonna be strong without you?  
I need you by my side"

_--Delta Goodrem "Lost Without You" _

"Peter?" Jessica called, in a small voice from her cell.

"Y-yes?"

"Could I ask you for a favor?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Uh…I…"

Jessica shook her head, and opened her mouth to speak, overriding his stuttering. "Do you know if I could get a better pillow, cleaner, and also a cleaner and softer blanket? Oh and how do I get out of here?" she questioned, rushing her words out quickly, hoping that he didn't notice her last inquiry before he answered.

"T-those are the best that the Dark Lord is willing to spare to you. You should b-be grateful that he gave you any-anything at all. And I-I am not as s-simple as you would be-believe me to b-be." Peter swallowed and continued in a voice he hoped to be strong and menacing. "S-so _yes_ I do know a way o-out of here, b-but I will _not_ h-help you."

"Not even as a, say, a way to pacify Sirius, and make him go easier on you when he gets here. Because believe me when I say this Peter, Sirius will come for me. And it's obvious that you've done something that hurt and angered him greatly. I can see it in your eyes, and I know for certain that if he, scratch that _when _he, discovers that you helped to keep me from him, he'll be extremely upset. And add that to whatever you did to him in the past, well…" Jessica allowed her voice to trail off, as if illustrating that she didn't even want to mention the horrible things Sirius would do.

Peter stood in front of Jessica's cell, breathing harshly. "I-I won't h-help you…b-but how would he find out…" Peter asked himself in a quiet voice.

"I'd tell him," Jessica said, simply.

"Well maybe I-I should just s-shut you up," Peter said, in a harsh voice.

"I don't think your master would be pleased about that," she said, lording over his head the protection she had from both parties. Sure one of the males was unwanted and unwelcome, but that didn't mean she couldn't use the opportunity.

Peter looked at Jessica with a mad glint in his eyes, but she could see that he understood that no matter which way he turned he was sure to meet pain. So Peter did the only thing he could do in his situation…

Sirius sat in Grimmauld Place, clutching a bottle of Firewhiskey in one hand, and a glass in the other.

He was continuously peeved and annoyed at everything, especially the pitying looks and pep talks he was receiving from various Order members.

"Sirius, you've just to keep your head about you, and hang on. Dumbledore said that he would find where You-Know-Who is hiding her, and so he will," Sirius heard the booming voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt say.

Sirius nodded in irritation, while continuing his streak of silent brooding. He couldn't understand why everyone was constantly harping on him. He just wanted peace and quiet, he wanted to be alone, but most of all he wanted Jessica back in his arms. But it seemed that the one thing that he wanted most of all was the one thing that was farthest from his reach; and it continued to drift further and further away until he could barely remember _how_ she felt in his arms.

Sirius stood from the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, and took a look at his surroundings. He sighed softly, before turning to the man who he previously sat beside.

"Thanks Shacklebolt. I'm going to go, and…" Sirius didn't finish his sentence, but merely allowed his feet to carry him away from the chocking presence of his colleague.

The bald man looked after his friend with a grim expression on his face. Shacklebolt didn't take the abrupt departure personally; he understood that Sirius needed space and time to work through all of this. But Shacklebolt knew that the sooner Jessica was rescued from Voldemort's lair, the sooner Sirius would be rescued from his loneliness and guilt.

Sirius collapsed onto his bed with an exaggerated huff. He struggled to hang onto happy and hopeful thoughts. He could help his thoughts from running away from him, and spiraling down the road of pessimism.

'_She could be hurt, damaged beyond repair. Oh Merlin what if they torture into insanity, oh God I'm going to lose her. Of all the women to fall in love with, I had to fall in love with the one that Voldemort wants,'_ Sirius sighed softly, running his fingers through his black hair making it messy.

'_Voldemort could be doing who knows what to her…'_ Sirius thought sadly. He sat still for a moment before anger replaced the sadness. _'He better not be doing who knows what to her. I'll kill him,'_ Sirius thought, standing abruptly and hurrying down the stairs, to go seek the answers that he was tired of waiting for.

When Sirius made it to the bottom of the steps he collided into a solid body that was attempting to run up the stairs. The two figures bounced off of each other and collided with the steps and floor.

"Ouch, what the hell Remus?" Sirius questioned angrily, standing and rubbing the spots where his back and bum landed painfully on the stairs.

Remus stood, and mimicking the movements of his best friend, began rubbing the sore places caused by his body meeting the floor.

"Dumbledore is here Sirius, and he says it's urge…"

Sirius didn't wait for Remus to finish his sentence, before he walked quickly in the direction of the kitchen.

Sirius stepped into the kitchen to see Dumbledore already seated at the table where the meals took place at Grimmauld Place.

"Have a seat Sirius," Dumbledore said, directing Sirius in the direction of the chair opposite him.

Sirius sat in the chair immediately, and stared expectantly at Dumbledore.

"Sirius, I am sorry it has taken me this long to contact you," Dumbledore said, watching as Sirius waved his hand impatiently at him. "But I have finally come upon some news that I believe will be very significant to you."

"If it doesn't involve the location of Jessica I don't want to hear it," Sirius said avidly.

"It does in fact concern the whereabouts of Miss. Huxtable," Dumbledore said, reaching into his robes and pulling out a rolled up piece of parchment. Dumbledore slowly unraveled the parchment, and laid it upon the table for Sirius to view.

Sirius looked intently at the parchment that lay upon the table, and concluded that it was a map of Ireland.

"I believe that Voldemort is holding Miss. Huxtable here," Dumbledore said, pointing at a spot on the map. "It is in the upper region of Northern Ireland, in the middle of Ballycastle and Cushendun," Dumbledore finished, leaning back in his chair, and watching as Sirius took in the new information.

"When do we go?" Sirius asked resolutely.

"One week from tonight," Dumbledore said.

"No," Sirius growled, "I won't wait that long. We have to go sooner than that. I'm not fool enough to think we can go tonight. But we have within a few days time. Who knows what Voldemort has, or will do to her," Sirius said angrily.

"My dear boy, one week is the soonest, and safest day that we can go. That day is our only chance to safely retrieve Miss. Huxtable."

Dumbledore continued even as Sirius tried to argue more. "The Winter Solstice is on this day. And you know on the days of Equinoxes and Solstices that magic has a standstill, meaning no magic can be preformed for twenty-four hours. It is on this day that it will go and rescue Miss. Huxtable," Dumbledore said, in manner that let Sirius know that further argument would be futile.

"Fine," Sirius said, with a pout "until the Solstice."

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